Washington Grove Conservation Park and Piedmont Crossing Local Park

The Washington Grove Conservation Park (WGCP, or Upper Meadow) is an important ecological and recreational asset of the Town.  Its protection from development over a decade ago was a win rightfully celebrated. Together with the Piedmont Crossing Local Park (PCLP, or Lower Meadow), it forms an ecosystem for meadow species that is otherwise absent nearby.

History

The October 2013 Parks Department Operations and Use Plan (OUP) (PDF) called for retaining and maintaining the WGCP. The OUP was assembled by Brenda Sandberg of the MC Parks Department, in collaboration with a “Field Committee” of Grove residents.  The OUP document holds that the “operation and use of Washington Grove Conservation Park will be implemented to achieve the following visions:

• Preservation of the rural, open vistas of the agricultural fields that formed the setting for the historically-significant Town of Washington Grove
• Creation of a native meadow habitat to support native meadow species
• Provision for resource-based recreational opportunities and interpretive opportunities of the natural and cultural significance of the park

Objectives to implement these visions are set forth on page 10 of the OUP (PDF).

In 2024, Grovers formed an ad hoc Meadows Committee to ensure and enhance the health of both the Upper and Lower Meadows.  To this end, Committee members intend to work with the Montgomery County Parks’ Meadow Management and Restoration Program to:

• revisit and/or make more specific and prescriptive the objectives stated in the OUP.
• ensure the appropriate implementation of the objectives, as revised.