Montgomery County’ s Spectacular New Park
The Royce Hanson Conservation Park thrills historians, hikers, ecologists and more
By Laura Helmuth
A magnificent new park has just opened in Montgomery County’ s Agricultural Reserve, and this is a partial list of people who are thrilled about it: hikers, birdwatchers, photographers, historians, archaeologists, anglers, park planners, equestrians, students, educators, and more. The Royce Hanson Conservation Park at Broad Run( RHCP) protects the largest tract of continuous forest in the county, 1.5 miles worth of streams, and what will be the largest meadow in the county park system. Come see it, it’ s spectacular! In 2001 the county identified this site, which is outside Poolesville and about a mile from the
Potomac River, as a“ best of the best” location for a future park.“ It was always something we’ d been keeping our eye on,” says Christie Ciabotti, division chief for park planning and stewardship of Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland- National Capital Park and Planning Commission( M-NCPPC). The county acquired the almost 480-acre site in 2021, took possession at the end of 2023, and is carefully and thoughtfully turning a working farm into a park focused on conservation, education, science, and stewardship.
“ It’ s a fantastic park,” says Clif Barry. He and Helena Boshoff are volunteers who inventory the bird species in county parks.( In their day jobs, they’ re scientists at the National Institutes of Health.) The RHCP has“ the most diverse set of birds and the most unusual set of birds we’ ve come across in Montgomery County,” Barry says. The
Royce Hanson( inset) led Montgomery County’ s planning board and helped create the Agricultural Reserve. Opposite: a prairie warbler, scarlet tanager, and Baltimore oriole at RHCP. bird surveyors stop at specific GPS points within the parks and listen for bird songs and calls to identify which species are present, typically in the spring and starting at 5 a. m. They’ ve found between 70-80 species every time they’ ve surveyed RHCP, and once surpassed 80 species.“ And that’ s in just a few hours!” Boshoff says. The birds are drawn to the mix of streams, ponds, swampy forest, dry forest, and meadow habitat.“ It’ s probably the best place for birding in Montgomery County,” Barry says.
The park contains two farm ponds that have a surprisingly robust and diverse population of fish, Ciabotti says. Park staffers have been analyzing the inflow and outflow of the ponds, sampling fish and water quality, and adding some dead trees and floating vegetation to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures. They’ re planning a wheelchair-accessible observation deck and fishing area.
The park will have about five miles of trails for
walking, biking, and horseback riding. Trails that were built this summer wind past the farm ponds and meadow, through thick forest, and along stream valleys. A corn crib building remains on the site, and you can see stone foundations from historic buildings, including an old farm house, which will be incorporated into the future design of the site, says Ciabotti:“ It’ s nice to have a reminder of what was there and its significance.”
Photos: clif barry
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