[MAIPC] Pause "Stream Restoration" Letter

[Ken Bawer]

Hi, Kathy.

I certainly respect your opinion. My review of the scientific literature and a review of the results of "stream restorations" in Montgomery County tells me that none of them have been well-designed. The root cause of the problem - stormwater from developed areas - needs to be addressed by keeping stormwater out of stream valleys to begin with.

Regards,
Ken



________________________________
From: Kathy Daniel <kdaniel20816 at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 5:32 PM
To: Ken Bawer <kbawer at msn.com>
Cc: Marney Bruce <marneyb3 at gmail.com>; MAIPC Listserve (maipc at lists.maipc.org) <maipc at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: Re: Pause "Stream Restoration" Letter

Dear Ken:

I applaud your efforts to push the Montgomery County government to more narrowly define "stream restoration," but I am afraid that a "pause" may quash some well-designed, much needed stream restorations.

Please take my name off of the letter as written. Best wishes with future success.

Kathy Daniel
MNPS, MAIPC, Wild Ones
Brookmont, MD

On Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 12:24 PM Ken Bawer <kbawer at msn.com<mailto:kbawer at msn.com>> wrote:
Dear signatories (and a few others) to last fall’s Montgomery Coalition to Stop Steam Destruction letter:


Please find attached a revised letter to stop “stream restorations” for your sign-on as an organization or individual. It is a revision of the letter you signed last fall that was put on hold.

The original letter was put on hold in order to work with the Montgomery Stormwater Partners Network (SWPN) to try to reach a consensus opinion with the larger environmental community. A consensus opinion has not yet been reached and more "stream restorations" are being planned. SWPN delivered comments on the draft Montgomery County MS4 permit - this permit dictates that stormwater control measures must be undertaken. As far as “stream restorations”, the SWPN comments presented the position that some of us oppose “stream restorations” while others do not – we are still at square one.

At this point, I now feel compelled to make a stronger case against “stream restorations” directly to County Executive Elrich and Parks Director Riley.

This letter asks for the same thing as the previous letter: a temporary pause on “stream restorations” while all stakeholders discuss this complicated issue. This letter also adds comments about “stream restorations” done for mitigation purposes since Parks has now approved “stream restorations” to be done as mitigation projects for environmental damage from the proposed Beltway expansion – adding insult to injury, we will get both a wider Beltway and more destructive “stream restorations”. And, it adds comments about the soon-to-be-release Request for Proposal (RFP) in which the County will ask contractors to bid on stormwater control projects (including “stream restorations”). It is noteworthy that I was excluded from SWPN interactions with the County on this RFP.

I hope that those of you who signed the original letter will also agree to sign on to this revised letter. I know that those of you who represent organizations may have to go through your boards again for approval. (My board’s policy does not require another vote if the substance of what was originally voted on has not changed). I’m hoping you can vote electronically if this request deadline (next Tuesday) is before your next scheduled meeting.

If I don’t hear back from you, I will take you off the list of sign-ons. Below is how I have you listed from the last letter – please provide any changes.

Please let me know by next Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 5 pm.

Regards,

Ken

xxxxxxxx Previous sign-on list xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Organizations:

Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church Environmental Justice Ministry: Nanci Wilkinson, chair

Cloverly Civic Association:  Quentin Remein, President

Courts of Flower Hill HOA: Almira Ryden, President

Eyes of Paint Branch: David Dunmire, Michael Ellis, Board of Directors

Fairland Acres Homeownwers Association, Inc.: Robert L. Duncan, President

Glen Echo Heights Citizens’ Association: Lisa Esquivel-Griffin, President

Greater Shady Grove Civic Alliance: Carol Kosary, President

Montgomery Countryside Alliance: Caroline Taylor, Executive Director

Potomac Chase Estates Citizens' Association, North Potomac: Barbara Andreassen, Treasurer

Rock Creek Woods Citizens Association, Julie Marcis, Co-Chair

Stonington Woods HOA: Connie Bevitt, Board of Directors

Sugarloaf Citizens' Association: Lauren Greenberger, President

West Laurel Civic Association, Montgomery County: Barbara Sollner-Webb, President

West Montgomery County Citizens Association: Ken Bawer, President



Individuals[1]:

Annie Ament, Silver Spring

David Anderson

Philip Bogdonoff, Director, Washington DC Chapter, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate

Lori Bowes, Takoma Park

Kathleen Bell

Marney Bruce, past president of Maryland Native Plant Society, Bethesda

Karen Byrne

Benjamin Dennis, Bethesda

Peggy Dennis, Potomac

Sylvia Diss, Elders Climate Action

Marion Edey, founder of national League of Conservation Voters

Marilyn Foster

Judy Fulton, EcoPlant Consulting, Board of the Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council

Vicki Giorgi

Tim Goodfellow, Montgomery Village

Carrie Hall, Wheaton

Molly Hauck, Kensington

Kevin J Herron, Gaithersburg

Jane Hill, Ph.D. Botany, former Board member of Maryland Native Plant Society; Audubon Naturalist Society; and Montgomery Bird Club.  Bethesda

Lauren Hubbard, Ph.D. Plant Biology, Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional

Mark Israel, WMCCA member; Montgomery Countryside Alliance member; Query Mill Farm

Emily Johnson

Linda Keenan, former Board member, Maryland Native Plant Society, Silver Spring

Karen Kim, Bethesda

Carolyn C. Knight, Olney

Catherine Lemp, Rockville

Mike Livermore, Silver Spring

Michael J. McClary, Environmental Attorney

Donna McDowell, J.D, M.S. Environmental Biology, Etchison, Maryland

Patty McGrath, member: Maryland Native Plant Society, Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, WMCCA, Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Potomac

Zoe Ziliak Michel, Silver Spring

Elizabeth Miller, Cabin John

Dolores Milmoe, former MD Conservation Advocate of Audubon Naturalist Society; Co-founder, Montgomery Countryside Alliance

H. Morgan

Deborah O’Leary, Silver Spring

Michael Ollinger, Kensington

Anna Ollinger, Kensington

Alyce Ortuzar

John Parrish

Lynn Parsons

Terry Pinkston, Rockville

Robert Portanova, Green Coalition MV member

Sara Robinson, member of Little Falls Watershed Alliance, Bethesda

Barbara Schubert, volunteer at Montgomery Parks Nursery, Parks Weed Warrior, member MD Native Plant Society,  member Audubon Naturalist Society

Danila Sheveiko

Rod Simmons, Emeritus, Maryland Native Plant Society Board of Directors

Merikay Smith, Board member Muddy Branch Alliance, Seneca Creek Watershed Partners; leader, Earth Stewardship East

rg Steinman

William Stevens, Bethesda

Gabrielle Stevens, Bethesda

Patricia Tice, Sierra Club member

Catherine Tunis, Takoma Park

Kay Weston, Chevy Chase

Paul Williams, Ashton

Rita Williams, Ashton

Peter Wood

Mary Zack, Rockville

Robin Ziek, Silver Spring



[1] The views of individuals may not necessarily reflect those of their listed affiliations.


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