2021 Ag Reserve Champion Royce Hanson Awardee : Landscape and Nature Discoveries ( LAND )
Have you seen them ? Pods of eager kids gathered outdoors in and around the Agricultural Reserve with gloves , rakes , shovels ... and lots of great questions . Somewhere in the middle you will find husband and wife Garth and Amy Seely , the dedicated movers behind the non-profit Landscape and Nature Discoveries for 15 years . Connecting kids with , and building affinity for , the natural world through hands-on projects at local schools has garnered respect and praise from educators , parents , and most importantly , budding ecologists . Our best future , and that of the Ag Reserve will require new hands and voices committed to conservation . LAND provides students ( pre-school through high school ) the opportunity to explore their natural environment with interactive , hands-on experiences , including after school clubs , field trips , nature walks , Earth Day activities , and community service .
In addition to the work through LAND , the Seely ’ s with their two son ’ s Thayer and Cade , work the family nature friendly landscaping business Gardens by Garth . Join us in celebrating the work of LAND and the Seelys .
“ LAND taught me to love dirt .” - Poolesville
Elementary School student
Monorail for Our Future ?
By Robert Eisinger
The High Road Foundation had the opportunity to meet with the Montgomery County Planning staff on August 10th to discuss progress on transit options for the I-270 Corridor Forward Plan . It will soon review final details and arrive at a recommended solution . We have identified and submitted several elements of concern with their analysis that our international team of experts feels need additional thought . We believe the fastest , least expensive , and highest capacity Monorail transit network is the stand-out solution . The myriad benefits that separate it from the challenges presented by other transit options include :
l Eliminating most acquisition contingencies in the budget as the County already owns or controls 98 percent of the ground required for a Monorail network l Creating minimal interference with existing traffic during construction and no interference at all afterwards l Requiring limited ground disturbance and minimal to no impact on underground or overhead utilities as Monorail is totally grade separated l Budgeting to within 95 percent of true cost at the very beginning l Planning density around hubs more easily while not disturbing existing residential communities by staying on existing right of ways l Providing reliable automated operation 18 hours per day with operating speeds independent of weather year round l Constructing the entire system in 10 years , subject to regional approval process l Fitting within the strategy of the current Presidential administration and bills in Congress l Jumping to the head of the line for Federal Funding in innovation l Lasting at least 50 years , while infrastructure can be designed for a 100 year useful life l Projecting a modern image that is attractive to employers and workers to the County and the region l Establishing an example of an environmentally sensitive . state-of-the-art , and cost-efficient transportation system that showcases the legitimacy of Montgomery County as a leader nationally in land planning
These highlights are based on extensive research , historical data , civil engineering and economic modeling and forecasting by experts in the field . We believe a Monorail network provides the brightest and most cost effective and environmentally forward thinking future for transit in Montgomery County .
More @ MoCoAlliance . org www . thehighroadfoundation . org l Info @ thehighroadfoundation . org