Friends of Maydale

Tackling pollution! Making sure Paint Branch Creek is happy and healthy Authors: Steve Hohman and Angela Padeletti During a storm, have you ever seen water flow off a yard, sidewalk, roof, or road ? This water, known as runoff , can pick up pollutants from the landscape and transport them into streams, rivers, and lakes. This type of pollution is called non point source pollution because , unlike a pipe, it is very hard to track exactly where the pollution is coming from. In fact, nonpoint source pollution is one of the leading sources of pollution to waterways in Maryland and across the United States.     If nonpoint source pollution is so bad, how do we protect against it? One way is to restore a stream . Like putting on a cast to help a broken bone heal, we can restore streams to help them behave more naturally. In fact, s tream restoration is considered a best management practice to protect streams from nonpoint source s pollution . A key question about stream

Please visit the Friends of Maydale table at WaterFest on May 20, 2023, from 11am to 2pm! This Montgomery Parks event will feature a touch tank from Glen Echo Park aquarium, a variety of crafts and activities, and an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about our local watershed. Learn more about the event  here . Follow  this link  to see volunteer opportunities for the day of the event (age 14+).  Among other local partners, representatives from Eyes of Paint Branch will be at the event presenting information about the Paint Branch watershed and their recent activities. Friends of Maydale welcomed David Dunmire of EOPB to our latest board meeting and we are looking forward to partnering on community conservation and education efforts in our local watershed!

This winter, Montgomery Parks is holding a variety of programs at Maydale: Storytime at Maydale, Maydale Hikes and Scavenger Hunts, Nature Explorers, Winter Events at Maydale, and Smokey Bear's New Year's Eve Countdown! For all the details, view their guide or build your own guide:  https://mocoparks.org/30cIL7X Maydale Weed Warriors has discovered black fountain grass at Maydale and has added it to its list of non-native invasives to battle! Members of Friends of Maydale have also noted the plant in local areas. Read more about this pesky plant  here. We have added new links at the bottom of the "About" section of this website - an online membership form  and online donation site . Friends of Maydale is now a 501(c)(3) organization and in addition to new and renewing members, gratefully accepts charitable donations. Thanks to the past support of the Maydale community, Friends of Maydale was able to help sponsor the 2nd Annual Community Celebration in November and sta

 The Fall Native Plant Sale at Maydale begins online September 6! Orders are taken online until noon on Wednesday, September 21. After placing your order, Maydale staff will contact you to arrange a pickup time on Saturday, September, 24 th  between 10am and 2pm.  Native plants are a great way to support local pollinators! They are one of the best ways to restore our local ecosystem! A portion of proceeds from this sale also goes to directly support nature programs at Maydale.  Check out details on the native plants available and plan your order today!  https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/maydale-conservation-park/maydale-nature-classroom/plant-sale-at-maydale/

 

The Spring Plant Sale at Maydale is back! Plants can be ordered online starting April 11 but you can check out the native plant offerings now on the Maydale Nature Classroom's website . Plants have been selling out in past years, so make your wish list now and order early when the online ordering system opens up. Pickups will be scheduled for April 30. This is a great chance to support the Maydale Nature Classroom and help the environment! To hear more about the importance of native plants, you can view Friends of Black Hill Nature Programs' annual meeting with guest speaker Doug Tallamy on  FOBHNC's website!  

Friends of  Maydale  will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on  Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at  Maydale  Conservation Park. The meeting will take place  in the campfire area next to the  Maydale  Nature Classroom. The meeting is open to all current members - you can become a member anytime before the meeting by using   this membership form . You can also join at the meeting! Please arrive a few minutes early if you plan to join or renew your membership at the meeting. Hear all about what's been happening at the park in the past year, and help shape Friends of  Maydale 's plans to support the park and its programming. There will be time to share your input, ideas for future programming, and questions. We will hold the business portion of the meeting including board elections, followed by s'mores around the campfire! We will be joined by Maydale's Park Naturalist Glenn Rice. **Please RSVP to  friendsofmaydale@gmail.com  so that we can anticipate the group size. Parking i