Your participation and generous contributions enable us to improve the health of the Northwest Branch.
Membership levels:
Salamander Saver - $20 (student)
Wood Frog Friend (and joint)- $35
Brook Trout Backer - $50
Kingfisher Keeper - $100
Great Blue Heron Hero - $250
ALL donations are appreciated!
Prefer a check? Send to P.O. Box 4314, Silver Spring, MD 20914. Thanks!
With so many things closed, and people working at home, the parks have become extremely important for getting the exercise we need to stay healthy. The NWB trails map now includes some new trails between Colesville Rd. and the Prince George's line. (Click on the picture to link to the trails map via the Montgomery Parks site.) Information about park road closures to provide yet more space to walk and bike is provided here. Enjoy, and stay safely away from everyone else! And please carry your trash and recyclables to the cans now at trailheads. The trash is unsightly, unhealthy, and is a danger to wildlife.
Wetlands trail in Magruder Park, NWB
THE AGE OF CORONA VIRUS IS GREATLY CHANGING HOW WE OPERATE. Our meeting place, the White Oak Library, has been closed all this spring, so our meetings were canceled. But the library is not going to be available to us in the fall either because public rooms in all libraries are needed to store furniture removed for social distancing. We are considering Zoom meetings, following the excellent turnout for the Friends of Sligo Creek (FOSC) program on birds at the Wheaton Branch Ponds to which we were invited. We also had a good turnout for the 6/23 joint program with FOSC on Invasive Plants, Habitats, and Vegetation Management in Montgomery County Parks. The PP presentations from that program are available from the Events page. Click the button below.
Montgomery Parks has started to reopen some amenities and programs to the public: all outdoor tennis courts, campgrounds, driving range, and archery ranges. Restrictions are lifted from boating and fishing to allow for all recreational purposes. However, organized activities (e.g., our stream cleanups) are still not allowed. But you can take a bag and gloves with you on your walks and pick up stuff. The situation in some areas has gotten really bad. The picture here shows a doe in pain from a discarded plastic ring around her ankle (Photo by L. Kapugi). Finally, stay up to date with the MoCo Parks COVID-19 status page at the button below.