For Immediate Release Contact: Jim Fary, Conservation Chair
January 2, 2001 301-460-1561
The Montgomery County Group of the Sierra Club recently discovered that two county agencies were doing the same work in the Turkey Branch tributary of Rock Creek. Here are the facts.
The Montgomery Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has begun restoration of the stream banks of Turkey Branch, a major tributary of Rock Creek. Crucial to this restoration effort is the maintenance of a 100-foot vegetative buffer to protect the stream. The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) is designing an 8 foot wide paved trail that would come within 40 feet of the restored stream. To mitigate the environmental impacts from violating the 100-foot buffer, MNCPPC is proposing to restore Turkey Branch. This would redo the work now being done by the DEP.
“MNCPPC has obviously failed to coordinate its trail building plans with DEP. It needs to get its act together and stop wasting limited resources needed to restore our streams,” said Jim Fary, Conservation Chair for the Montgomery County Group of the Sierra Club..
Citizens have long advocated an alternative trail route that would avoid damaging the stream and be safer for people with disabilities. The Sierra Club is seeking permission from the Department of Parks to flag the alternative route so that all can see the difference between the steep, winding, environmentally damaging route proposed by MNCPPC and the open and safe alternative route proposed by the citizens.
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