A major piece of legislation called Legacy Open Space (LOS) passed the County
Council last spring. LOS provides $33.1
million for acquisition of land that has high ecological value, for historic preservation,
for parks and tree planting among other things. There
is a Legacy Open Space Advisory Board, on which the Sierra Club is represented by Ginny
Barnes, that is charged with choosing priority properties to purchase.
On October 14, 2000 The Montgomery County Group, in co-sponsorship
with Audubon Naturalist Society put on a symposium on Preserving Open Space and Forest in
Montgomery County. Featured speakers
were Corinne McLaughlin, Executive Director, Center for Visionary Leadership and Debi
Osborne from the Trust for Public Lands. At
the end we all brainstormed ways to increase the probability of saving this valuable land.
There have been 4 major toxic spills in the Rock Creek Stream Valley in the last 6 months. The Club is working to get the State to levy higher fines and provide better training and inspections for businesses that handle toxic material.
The West Nile Virus has become an issue in Montgomery County since the discovery of numerous dead crows that were infected with the disease.
For further information on our Conservation Committee and its activities contact Jim Fary at 301-460-1516.