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.


Explore Black history in Montgomery County this weekend as part of Black History Month. Per Montgomery Parks: “Get ready for spring — plan your gardens and landscape with the advice of experts and register for the season’s exciting classes, camps, outings, and events.” Holiday Operating Hours/President’s Day weekend offers unique programs, additional Open Parkways hours, or family fun.

• Curate thoughtful and environmentally friendly gardens and landscapes with the advice from experts at GreenScapes Symposium, a live Zoom event on Friday, Feb. 17 at 9:30 am. This is your final chance to learn the latest advancements in landscape design strategies and how to employ them in private or public gardens.


The session will take place on February 22, 2023, and look at the rise of public art as a form of expression, healing and protest in America. 

Montgomery Parks is hosting its February virtual speaker series on the topic of public art on Thursday, February 22, 2023, from 3-4 p.m. This session features art expert Jack Becker discussing how public art can act as a cultural barometer, revealing a society’s values and struggles.


Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, announces programming and operating hours for the 2023 Presidents Day holiday.

Open Parkways Schedule: The Open Parkways will be extended during the Presidents Day holiday weekend. During this time, parkways are open to pedestrians and bicyclists and closed to motor vehicles.


Per Montgomery Parks: Spend the weekend in the parks! Discover these ten activities happening Friday, February 10, through Sunday, February 12:

Birds: You don’t have to be a bird expert to help with this community science project at Locust Grove Nature Center. So, join staff at FeederWatch Friday(opens in a new tab) on Friday, February 10, 11 am, to help count birds and bird species at feeders around the facility.


Montgomery Parks will host a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 7 p.m. to present data from traffic studies conducted on Little Falls Parkway  between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue during May, July, September, and December of 2022. The traffic studies were conducted as part of the Little Falls Parkway Pilot Project,(opens in a new tab) which was initiated to address concerns with cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods associated with the weekend closures of Little Falls Parkway while retaining space for recreation on the parkway.

WHAT: Virtual public meeting on traffic studies on Little Falls Parkway


 Funding will create safer access to Montgomery Parks trails and parks. 

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), has received $7.5 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The money will be used to facilitate safe access to parks, trails, and recreation facilities in the county through 2026.  The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. 


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