PLENTY SUMMER 2020 | Page 4

A Place with Purpose BY CAROLINE TAYLOR On this crystalline morning. I’m thinking hard of traveling with you on a tour of the Agricultural Reserve—offering a sampling of it’s 93,000 acres as we only have three hours together. We meet up at the historic Seneca Store (aka Poole’s Store) not far from Poolesville and take a little time to see the remarkable renovation of the place. The vegetable starters are just in and folks have cheerfully descended to supply their home gardens. This general store, located near both the Seneca Greenway trail and C & O Canal, has served the rural community and visitors for decades—a little gem you might call it. Right off the bat I am thrilled to hear that you spent time in advance researching the Reserve, now celebrating its fortieth year, so a lesson of how it came to be and the zoning mechanisms that regulate it is not needed. How, you keenly inquire, is it meeting its purpose as laid out by planners decades ago and what does the 4 plenty I Spring sowing 2020