Montgomery Parks host a community meeting to discuss the new neighborhood park coming to Lyttonsville in Silver Spring. The park design is the result of dialogue between planners and the Lyttonsville community during two previous meetings. Montgomery Parks is now seeking feedback on the latest version of the plan. The third meeting will be held online and in person:
Or online: Zoom Link: MoCoParks.org/LCM, Phone: 301-715-8592, Webinar ID: 876 4684 3272
The Montgomery Parks and Montgomery Planning(opens in a new tab) departments presented their Spring 2023 Semiannual Report to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The presentations showcased key projects, park activities and plans from the past six months, and initiatives that will be completed over the next six months and beyond. The presentation is given to the County Council every spring and fall and allows County Councilmembers to provide feedback to Montgomery Parks and Planning leadership and staff. Watch the Spring 2023 Semiannual presentation to the County Council here or read highlights available below.
Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Jeff Zyontz began the presentation by highlighting the work of the temporary acting Planning Board. “I’m grateful to Commissioners Cherri Branson, David Hill, and Amy Presley – over the last four months, they were engaged and dedicated to the task they were given, including approving 133 individual regulatory items in addition to recommending approval of master plans for the County Council’s consideration. I look forward to working with the new Planning Board members.”
Montgomery Parks is hosting a virtual speaker series on birding in Maryland. This month’s guest speaker, Gabriel Foley, who coordinates the Maryland-D.C. Breeding Birds Atlas will give an overview of the project and discuss how the public can document breeding birds and support nesting birds in their own communities.
WHAT: Montgomery Parks Speaker Series(opens in a new tab): Birding in Maryland with Gabriel Foley
Event scheduled for Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. canceled due to forecasted inclement weather
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission,will host Parks Ale Trail on Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This free, family-friendly festival features a nearly three-mile hike along the trails of Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Regional Park, live music, tons of activities for kids, crafts for sale, as well as a beer garden and food from area restaurants available for purchase.
The National Park Service has predicted peak bloom for the DC area Cherry Blossoms to fall this year between March 22 – 25, the NPS announced on Monday. According to the NPS, “The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) blossoms are open. Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions. The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April. Extraordinary warm or cool temperatures have resulted in peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).”
Here in MoCo, Montgomery Parks makes it easy to find and tour cherry blossoms in local parks with its online tree finder map. “People regularly flock to Washington D.C. to enjoy the cherry blossoms and may not even realize there are so many of these trees right here in Montgomery Parks,” said Mike Riley, Director of Montgomery Parks. “Why not pick a park you’ve not yet visited and go enjoy these beautiful trees.”
Montgomery Parks will present information, including traffic data, related to the Little Falls Parkway pilot project(opens in a new tab) to the Montgomery Planning Board at an evening briefing on March 30, 2023. After the briefing, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing so the public can respond to the data and share input on the project. The exact time for the March 30 briefing and public hearing will be posted on the Planning Board agenda closer to the date of the hearing.
The public will have an opportunity to provide testimony virtually or in person at the March 30 planning board hearing or in advance via email or mail. Details on how to sign up to testify, provide advance testimony and the procedures for testifying are outlined on the Planning Board “Sign Up to Testify” webpage.(opens in a new tab)
Montgomery Parks is seeking ideas for a new park in downtown Bethesda. The Bethesda Market Park project(opens in a new tab) will repurpose two parking lots adjacent to the historic Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market. Montgomery Parks will host two in-person public meetings in March to present initial concepts for the park and solicit input from the community.
Each meeting will provide the same information and begin with a brief presentation of the plan followed by an interactive session to give the community a closer look at the project and the opportunity to provide feedback.
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has an inviting lineup of special events and programs in March, including a variety of hikes, birdwatching, Parks Ale Trail and more. March events in Montgomery Parks include:
Mini Open House | March 1 | 6 – 8 p.m.: Lodge at Little Seneca Creek, 14500-A Clopper Road, Boyds, MD 20841 Surrounded by 26 acres of wooded parkland, The Lodge at Little Seneca Creek is the perfect natural setting for all types of special occasions, as well as business meetings. Free.
Per Montgomery County: Montgomery Parks will be hosting two meetings to present initial concepts and solicit feedback on the future Bethesda Market Park development. The first meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, at the Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center located at 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase. The meeting will be held in the social hall.
The second meeting will cover the same content. It will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, at Bethesda Elementary School, which is located at 7600 Arlington Road in Bethesda. The meeting will be held in the all-purpose room
Department is accepting submissions for a new public art installation in downtown Silver Spring park
Montgomery Parks is looking for an artist to create a permanent art installation at Gene Lynch Urban Park in downtown Silver Spring. The newly constructed park sits on a quarter acre near the Silver Spring Metro and the Sarbanes Transit Center and will open this spring. It includes an open lawn area, a pergola with bench swings and a 10 x 13-foot concrete wall —the location of the new public artwork.
Fire will take place one day between mid-February and April 2023 to help with the park’s meadow restoration program.
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will be conducting a prescribed fire at Rachel Carson Conservation Park (located in (Brookeville) one day between mid-February to April 2023 to help restore the meadow located in the park. Prescribed fires are used to enhance and maintain native biological diversity as an alternative to mowing to remove the layer of dead plant material. This allows sunlight and rain to reach the soil surface to promote the regeneration of native wildflowers.