Optimus Template

Saving Trees in Rock Creek Park

More than 100 people turned out on a beautiful, sunny morning to combat the English ivy that threatens trees in the Normanstone section of Rock Creek Park.  FORCE worked with the Embassy of Belgium, the National Park Service,  the Woodland Normanstone Neighborhood Association, and volunteers from the District and Maryland to tackle this invasive vine.  Starting in the Belgian Embassy parking lot, volunteers of all all ages worked tree by tree to clip, cut, and saw ivy growing up trees along the creek.  Representatives from several embassies located nearby participated in the event.

Rock Creek is a winter wonderland in the snow.  This photo was taken near Kensington Parkway in North Chevy Chase.  Find more photos here.  If you have photos to share, send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Public Hearing Draft of the Montgomery County Water Resources Functional Plan is now available online at: http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/environment/index.shtm

The Water Resources Functional Plan will amend the County’s General Plan as required under HB 1141.  The Plan examines Montgomery County’s land use, growth, and stormwater management in the context of adequate drinking water supplies, wastewater treatment capacity, and water quality regulatory requirements.

We encourage all Montgomery County FORCE members to take a look at the plan.

The District’s Office of Planning and Deptartment of the Environment have initiated a new sustainability project, and FORCE is looking for members that are interested in participating and/or representing FORCE.  The program is called the Neighborhood Sustainability Indicators Pilot Project (NSIPP).  This project is an opportunity for residents to define sustainability in a way that is meaningful to them and their neighborhoods.  Once sustainability is defined and the community creates a vision for itself then goals and objectives can be set to reach that vision. In turn, neighborhood sustainability indicators can be identified to track the community’s progress towards reaching its goals and its overall vision.