Media Center

Banners & Signs Recognizing Portable Toilet Sponsors Going up in Montgomery Parks this Week

SILVER SPRING, MD—Installation of banners and signs recognizing the sponsors whose contributions enabled the Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), to keep the portable toilets in the parks is starting today.

Signs recognizing sponsors WTOP and the Long Branch Civic Association will be placed inside the doors of the sponsored portable toilets.  Banners recognizing the most generous sponsor, A Step in Time Chimney Sweeps, will be placed at key locations within parks with sponsored toilets, specifically in the Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring and Potomac areas. A Step in Time has committed to keeping at least one portable toilet in all 80 park locations for a minimum of six months.

“This unexpected sponsorship opportunity has prompted some good thought internally for us about a more fully developed, future corporate sponsorship program for the Department of Parks,” said Park Information Chief Kate Stookey. “We are in the planning stages now, and will look to the community for input to ensure the program enhances rather than overwhelms the park experience.”

Portable toilets in more than 80 park locations countywide were slated for removal June 30, 2010 as the Department of Parks prepared to meet a 16.5 percent reduction in its fiscal year 2011 budget—the portable restroom contract was one of many line item cuts to the adopted budget. Given expressed interest in community sponsorship, the Department of Parks asked the vendor to delay removing the portable toilets for the month of July. Before the end of July, Director of Parks Mary R. Bradford sent a letter to Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen indicating that with the completion of the department’s various cost-savings efforts, it could cover the cost of keeping the portable toilets in the parks, with the help of its community sponsors.

Those interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities with the Department of Parks, may contact Kate Stookey at 301-650-2892 or [email protected].

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

New County Deer Report Shows Slight Increase in Deer-Vehicle Collisions, Community Complaints Increase in Developed Areas

SILVER SPRING, MD—The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group released its new annual report today on the impact of deer in the county with recommendations on managing deer impacts for Fiscal Year 2011, which began July 1. This new report shows a slight increase in deer-vehicle collisions in the county after a six year steady decline.

“Implementation of long-term, effective deer management strategies is continuing to hold some of the negative impacts of deer in Montgomery County at bay, but more efforts are likely needed in the future,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Natural Resources Manager and Chair of the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group Rob Gibbs.

The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group includes representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, Montgomery County Police Department, US Geological Survey (USGS), National Park Service and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The group’s annual report presents an overview of the county’s deer management program, actions implemented since the program began in 1995 and lists specific recommendations for implementation in the upcoming fiscal year—both non-lethal and lethal strategies to manage deer populations on public lands. 

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs), recorded annually by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), are one indicator used to evaluate the effectiveness of deer management. After six years of slight decline, the 2009 DVCs count was 1,945, a 5 percent increase over 2008. Even with this increase, numbers are still 8 percent below the highest accident rates that occurred in 2002 and 2003. MCPD data follows: 

Year        DVCs reported by MCPD
2002        2,127
2003        2,047
2004        1,997
2005        1,969
2006        1,951
2007        1,867
2008        1,841
2009        1,945

“Data collected around parks where deer management is being conducted has demonstrated a reduction in DVCs adjacent to those parks,” added Gibbs. “However, accidents have likely continued to increase slowly in areas where management is not yet implemented.”

This year’s report, recommends additional management, especially in some down-county areas where residents are still experiencing and reporting complaints of damage. These include lower Rock Creek Stream Valley, Sligo Creek Stream Valley, the Paint Branch-Colesville area, Potomac, Rockville and Olney.  Based on citizen complaints in the Cabin John area parks staff will be investigating the problems and potential solutions in that area as well.  

“Deer management is much more difficult to implement safely in down-county areas due to the smaller, narrower size of parks, the high density of adjacent houses, high level of public activity in the parks and the lack of resources needed to address these challenges,” said Gibbs. “A variety of measures are being investigated to control deer numbers in these more urbanized areas but it continues to be a challenge not only in Montgomery County but in suburban areas across the nation.” 

In Fiscal Year 2010, managed deer hunting and Maryland-National Capital Park Police-based sharpshooting was conducted on 19 county parks, two state parks and WSSC land to reduce deer populations in locations experiencing a high level of deer related impacts.

Despite this year’s budget difficulties, it is expected that deer management will continue in the same areas as last year.  More details on this year’s program will be released in early fall. 

For more information about deer in Montgomery County, including a copy of this year’s Deer Management Work Group annual report and recommendations see www.ParksDeerManagement.org. You may also comment on the report by emailing [email protected] or calling (301) 962-1341. 

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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

MEDIA ADVISORY: Department of Parks Holds 2nd Community Meeting on Josiah Henson Special Park Master Plan

SILVER SPRING, MD—Park planners are currently in the process of developing a master plan for the Josiah Henson Site (formerly called the Riley Farm/Uncle Tom's Cabin Special Park) located at 11420 Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda and are actively seeking community input.

The 1.43 acre property contains the historic house and a small portion of a former large, slave-holding plantation owned by Isaac Riley. The master plan prepared for the park will convert the property and house into a public museum dedicated to the topic of slavery and the life of Reverend Josiah Henson, whose 1849 autobiography of slave life on the Riley plantation inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 

Park planners held the first community meeting on this park master plan on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. At that time, parks staff presented the story of Josiah Henson, the planning process, draft plan issues and the proposed schedule. More than 45 community members attended this first meeting to share and prioritize their visions and issues for the park. During this second community meeting parks staff will review its responses to the visions and issues identified by the public during the first meeting. 

All public input gathered during this planning process will be used to help parks staff develop a concept for the park. In the fall, parks staff will present the draft master plan to the Montgomery County Planning Board, followed by a separate Planning Board public hearing on the master plan before the plan is finalized.

To submit written comments throughout the planning process, interested community members may send suggestions to Department of Parks Project Coordinator Rachel Newhouse at [email protected].

WHO:    
Montgomery County Department of Parks

WHAT:   
Josiah Henson Special Park Master Plan Community Meeting

WHEN: 
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
7:00 pm

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
Montgomery Regional Office Auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910 

For more information on this park plan, visit www.ParkPlanning.org. 

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Contact: 
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866