Parks and Rec. Hearing Sept 7 p.m.
Friends:
Howard County Recreation and Parks Department will hold a hearing on its proposal for the Smith property. The hearing is at Oakland Mills High School, and the public is invited to speak.
We urge you to support a holistic development of the Smith property’s 300-acres, one that takes into account the scarcity of the resources it contains, respects the land, its flora, fauna and wildlife and protects it for future generations, and provides the greatest opportunity for all the citizens of Howard County to enjoy the diverse wonders of the natural world in the midst of a densely populated contemporary community.
If you intend to make remarks:
There will be three sign-up tables in the hallway. Speakers will be called upon in order (they intend to alternate names from the three sheets).
You will have THREE MINUTES maximum to speak.
You are asked to bring two copies of your remarks, which should include your contact info (name, address, phone number, e-mail address).
FACT SHEET
What is the Smith property?
The Smith property is a relatively undisturbed 300-acre parcel of land in the middle of Columbia. The site includes an historic farmhouse and outbuildings, mature trees, wildflower meadows, wetlands, two farm ponds and wildlife. It is bordered by the Columbia villages of Oakland Mills and Long Reach and by the community of Glenmont. It was purchased from the heirs of private owner Nancy Smith by Howard County Government and the State of Maryland in 1998 to protect as a park in this rapidly developing area.
What recreational uses are appropriate for such a site?
Maximum care is required to preserve the ecology of the Smith property site and its natural assets, rather than destroying the natural landscape to make way for other unrelated recreational uses. The recreational character of the nature park would include interaction with the natural environment, such as hiking and bicycle riding trails and outdoor skills-building activities, gardening for all ages and skill levels, strolling and jogging and interacting with nature, and other environmental education activities.
Who would use a park developed in such a manner?
Typically, a nature park is attractive to all segments of the population, irrespective of gender, race, ethnic and religious background, economic status, age or mobility. A nature park offers many opportunities for pleasure and learning at all stages of life:
Children: Recent literature indicates that children are starved for interaction with nature, and models throughout the country show the high attraction of gardens and other features designed to provide hands-on exploratory activities for curious children.
It would be used by school children by providing an ideal opportunity to partner with the Howard County Public School System to help it fulfill its requirement of providing each student with a meaningful outdoor environmental educative experience.
Youth: In other parts of the country, communities have discovered that young adults feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in gardening and find added benefit in the activity when the fruit (and vegetables, flowers and herbs) of their labor are sold as products in an entrepreneurial learning experience.
Older adults and people with disabilities: Seniors, people with physical challenges and those with cognitive and developmental disabilities find nature parks a source of pleasure for their physical beauty, meditative opportunities and outdoor activities.
What about the people living nearest the Smith property?
The careful development of the Smith property would result in undeniable financial benefit to the residential communities surrounding the park, as well as the larger community of Columbia and, indeed, of all of Howard County. Maximizing the potential of this natural bounty is a giant step forward in enhancing the adjacent neighborhoods and making them more attractive places to live, raising the value of those properties and of the community.
What is the Thunder Hill Park Alliance?
The Thunder Hill Park Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in February 2003, to promote the development and use of the Smith property, in the center of Columbia, Maryland, as a nature park and natural environment.