The C&O Canal National Historical Park – Potomac’s Priceless Luxury
Vice President’s Letter, Submitted by Ginny Barnes
One whole border of the Potomac Subregion is made up of the canal, towpath, and a narrow forested riparian corridor bordering the Potomac River. In many places, the park is only 100 feet wide. It is the 16th most visited out of 423 parks in the National Park System, bringing five million visitors each year and features a 184.5-mile towpath stretching from Georgetown in DC to Cumberland, MD. The canal itself is an engineering marvel of early transportation. WMCCA has long been devoted to protecting this treasure. It remains critical to maintaining a clean public water supply for 3 jurisdictions.
Popular with hikers, birdwatchers, bikers, and photographers as well as paddlers who can access the Potomac River and its offshoots, the park embodies over 200 rare and threatened species of plants and animals, over 1,000 historic structures, and a rich history of native cultures, transportation growth, and Civil War conflict. It has something for everyone. In Spring it’s a storybook vision of native wildflowers and budding trees attracting nature lovers to marvel at the color and beauty. With advancing climate change and a consistent decline in pollinators, we can learn much about gardening on our own properties from walking the towpath. Perhaps it will encourage more wild gardens instead of the endless monoculture of lawns we seem addicted to maintaining. More bees and butterflies help bring back the biodiversity we are sadly losing nationwide.
Synthetic Turf Chain of Custody Update
Submitted by Carol Van Dam Falk
The Maryland Chain of Custody bill (HB457), in its second reading, was passed in the House with amendments. It now moves on to the Senate. This bill requires the MD Department of the Environment to establish a system to track the chain of custody of synthetic turf installed on sports and playing fields in the State. It requires the custodian of a synthetic turf sports or playing field installed in Maryland to report chain of custody information to the Department on or before January 1, 2025, or within 30 days after the completion of the installation, whichever is later. It imposes an administrative penalty of up to $5,000 for a violation of the Act. There is no official inventory of the number or location of synthetic turf playing fields in Maryland or a system to track where they have gone. Due to its high volume, weight and toxicity, many waste facilities refuse to accept used artificial turf fields. As a result, some of this waste is dumped in the environment and poses a large threat to nearby waterways, wildlife, and humans.
Testimony for HB547 can be found at the following links: Witness Signup (maryland.gov)
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/WitnessSignup/HB0457?ys=2024RS
Some background: Synthetic turf playing fields average lifetime: 8-10 years. Such fields produce a huge volume of waste when replaced. Average synthetic turf field: 80,000 square feet; 40,000 lbs. of mixed plastic; 400,000 lbs. of infill between the plastic blades, usually composed of crumb tire waste, which includes known carcinogens, and silica sand or similar material. Write or call your lawmakers and urge them to support HB457.
Avenel Equestrian Facility / WSSC Property Update
Submitted by Kathy Petitt
As previously communicated, WSSC Water hosted a public meeting on February 8th at Carderock Springs Elementary School for the purpose of updating the community on its next steps for the Equestrian Center. Subsequent to the meeting, the Avenel Community Association (‘Association’) followed up with WSSC through written correspondence. This latest correspondence is posted on WMCCA’s website (www.wmcca.org ).
The Association continues to maintain its position that the Equestrian Center is foundational to Avenel’s identity and is important to the Potomac and equestrian communities. To that end, the Association will continue to work towards a positive path forward that restores full use of the Equestrian Facility, as originally intended. Key points from the February 8th meeting and WSSC Water’s PowerPoint presentation are posted on WMCCA’s website (www.wmcca.org ).
The Association urges all residents to continue sharing your views and concerns with the Montgomery County WSSC Commissioners and Council President Andrew Friedson. It is vital that they continue to hear from our community and impacted stakeholders, and that WSSC be required to meet its agreed upon obligations and restore full use of the Equestrian Facilities. Email contacts for the WSSC Commissioners and Council President Friedson are posted on WMCCA’s website (www.wmcca.org ).
The Association will continue to keep the Potomac Community updated on any developments and encourages all residents to remain active and engaged in this important community matter. In the event you have any questions, please email General Manager Lucy Wilson at Lucy@liveatavenel.com
US Senate Panel Adds Slots at Reagan National
Submitted by Carol Van Dam Falk
The Senate Commerce Committee agreed to add five additional slots for long-distance flights to Reagan National Airport as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill on February 8th, an issue that has long faced stiff opposition from Maryland, Virginia, and DC lawmakers. Local lawmakers argue more long-distance flights from Reagan National (DCA) would only increase delays at the already busy airport and undermine regional investments into expansion at the nearby Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia and Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport (BWI) in Maryland. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “Cramming more flights onto the busiest runway in America is a bad idea. We can’t let backroom deal-making by out-of-region senators steamroll the needs of DMV residents.” In June, all four senators representing Maryland and Virginia argued in a Washington Post op-ed that proposed slot expansions “spell disaster for our constituents.”
In addition, the date for changes to approach procedures into DCA from the north has been postponed from May 16th to July 11th. The Quiet Skies Coalition says the FAA did not officially inform the group of the change, but the date of publication was changed on the FAA website. In a bit of good news, the Coalition reports that when repairs at DCA start up this Spring, flights between 11pm and 7am will be halted. We hope that the new GPS approach procedure will be published before nighttime flights resume in the Fall.
WMCCA NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The following individuals are proposed to serve on the Nominating Committee and will be voted upon at the March 13, 2024 General Meeting. They in turn will nominate Officers and Directors to be voted upon at the May 8, 2024 General Meeting: Chairperson – Ginny Barnes; Members: Carol Van Dam Falk, Nancy Madden, Ken Bawer, Barbara Brown
VIRTUAL WMCCA Meeting March 13, 2024 – 7:30 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84454833106?pwd=NlFmMmcra0VpUy9qVGZJT1VEOWhIQT09
or call in with 301-715-8592
(Meeting ID: 844 5483 3106, Passcode: 983351)
West Montgomery County Citizens Association Newsletter
P.O. Box 59335, Potomac, MD 20854-9335
President – Susanne Lee: President@WMCCA.org
Website: WMCCA.org – Thomas Fahey, Newsletter Editor – Nancy Madden
West Montgomery County Citizens Association 