Glen Echo Heights Environment
The Glen Echo Heights neighborhood is remarkable because of its natural beauty. Our neighborhood is flanked by state land and the Potomac Palisades Conservation Park that has trails overlooking the Potomac River. Few neighborhoods inside the beltway have so many trees and gardens. We have gardens that surround out neighborhood signs at each end of Walhonding and conservation rain gardens speckled throughout the neighborhood. In these gardens we strive to use low maintenance, native plants that attract pollinators.
GEHCA Tree and Garden Committee
This is a standing committee based on GEHCA’s Bylaws. It maintains one active board member spot which is currently vacant – WE NEED YOU!
Potomac Palisades Conservation Park
At the corner of Wissioming and Waukesha there is an access to the Potomac Palisades Conservation Park (PPCP). This 4.9 acre park overlooking the Potomac River is owned by Montgomery County and is dedicated to environmental conservation. The PPCP is home to deer, foxes, raccoons, owls, woodpeckers, and countless other native wildlife. There are trails throughout the park that lead to an open field and create a nice walk for neighbors, kids and dogs. The PPCP is a community park and our neighbors work to keep the trails safe and maintained. For decades, the park has been a perfect setting for our neighborhood Haunted Trail during the Annual GEHCA Halloween Party. At the entry to the park, there is a commemorative plaque for former County Councilwoman Betty Ann Krahnke, who was highly instrumental in establishing the Park as part of the Potomac Valley Preservation Plan.
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Conservation Gardens
We are currently witnessing major global climate change, and with that comes a concerning loss of biodiversity. The Earth is losing species daily due to anthropogenic habitat loss, pesticides, and other factors. There are thousands of beneficial species in Glen Echo Heights including a huge variety of insects, reptiles, and birds, as well as large and small mammals like chipmunks, fieldmice, foxes, and deer. Insect pollinators are key in our biodiversity and the interconnectedness of our neighborhood ecosystem. Conservation gardens reduce toxic stormwater runoff flow into the Potomac River, provide habitat, food, and shelter for local wildlife, and are habitat for monarch butterflies and beneficial pollinators. These gardens also educate people about our local ecology and help to slow down the Earth’s loss of biodiversity.
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North Conservation Garden
This is a small, diverse, meadow in our right-of-way by 5421 Wehawken Rd. planted by Montgomery County. It established this garden in about 2015, and it belongs to the people of Maryland. Our county designed this garden to be a great example for others to emulate. Many of our longstanding neighbors have partnered with Montgomery County to care for this this garden over the years. Montgomery County is trying to keep about 15 species growing well in the North Conservation Garden, and it needs tenders who recognize these plants in their different forms throughout the year and know how to care for them for best results.
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Scioto Rain Garden
The garden in the right-of-way on the northwest corner of Scioto and Walhonding. If we consider houses on the outer side of Walhonding to be in Glen Echo Heights, then this garden is in GEH; otherwise, it is in Mohican Hills. It has several native pollinator plants including asters, holly, and swamp milkweeds.
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RainScapes Program
The Montgomery County RainScapes Program is part of the Maryland Department of Environmental Protection which promotes and implements projects that reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality on properties within Montgomery County, MD. In metropolitan areas, there is much storm-water runoff. It is often toxic water containing lawn pesticides, fertilizers, oil, road salt, microplastic particles, tire dust, and other harmful materials. Many gallons of this runoff go into the Potomac River and in turn into the Chesapeake Bay. In Glen Echo Heights, we can reduce our runoff by installing different kinds of rain gardens, replacing lawns with meadows, and increasing our number of trees.
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Right-of-way trees
Glen Echo Heights has many wonderful, beneficial trees of many species, cultivars, and sizes. These trees provide shade and wildlife habitat, produce oxygen, reduce air pollution, reduce toxic runoff into our streams, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay. As part of Montgomery County’s commitment to environmental health and protecting county trees, they have set a goal of maintaining at least 40% of our canopy tree cover. In furtherance of this goal, removal a tree in the Montgomery County Right-of-way requires a county permit.
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What is the right-of-way?
The right-of-way is the country-owned, public land on each side of a state or county owned road. In our neighborhood, this means that the land 25 or 30 feet on each side of the median of our neighborhood streets legally belongs to the county. On Walhonding it is 30 feet on either side of the median and on the other smaller roads it is 25 feet. Since the right-of-of way is public property, Montgomery County requires a permit for any structure (like a fence) built in the right-of-way. Additionally, any trees in the right-of-way belong to the county and the state of Maryland. It is illegal for anyone to fell or trim a right-of-way tree without a Montgomery County permit.
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Airplane Chemical and Noise Pollution
In the last few years, more flights have departed and arrived at Reagan National Airport, and they are later in the night than they used to be. This has increased local noise and chemical pollution (fuel-burning residues) in our ecosystem. The flights are concentrated over the Potomac River and Maryland side of the river. The Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition (MCQSC) is working to reduce airplane noise and pollution and welcomes input.