Montgomery Parks Invites the Community to Celebrate Maydale Nature Classroom on Saturday, November 6, 2021

WHEATON, Md. – Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, will host a special community celebration for the recently renovated Maydale Nature Classroom on Saturday, November 6, 2021, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. The nature classroom is located at Maydale Conservation Park, 1638 Maydale Drive, Colesville, MD 20905.  

The free, event (rain or shine) will include a brief speaking program, self-guided tours of the facility, as well as a variety of family-friendly activities, including s’mores around a campfire, arts and crafts, and cider pressing.  

Speakers include Montgomery Parks Director Mike Riley, Montgomery Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson, Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker, and President of the Friends of Maydale  Renée Katz.  

“The Maydale Nature Classroom brings nature center programming to an underserved area of the county,” said Mike Riley, Director of Montgomery Parks. “I appreciate the support we received from the Friends of Maydale in creating a beautiful and sustainable facility where children and families can learn about the value of environmental stewardship.”    

The nature classroom is the Department’s first net-zero-designed facility, made from a repurposed parks trailer and created with sustainable, locally sourced materials. It incorporates solar panels that support the energy needs for the facility and includes a 275-gallon, underground rainwater harvesting system that supports toilet flushing inside the facility. It opened in October 2019 and offers year-round nature-based programming.  

“All of the Friends of Maydale are looking forward to celebrating the opening of the new Maydale Nature Classroom,” said Friends of Maydale President Renée Katz. “It represents the continuation of a long history of nature education at this unique conservation park, and opens up exciting possibilities for the future of nature education in the East County and the stewardship of the Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area.” 

“I have been a strong advocate for greater investment in East County for years,” Council President Hucker said. “One of my proudest achievements on the Council has been pushing for improved parks, community spaces, and public safety in East County. I led the effort to restore funding for the relocation and reopening of the popular Maydale Nature Center back in 2016, so I’m thrilled to see the new net-zero facility and all it has to offer to the community.” 

Parking: On-site accessible parking only. Street parking is available. 

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About Montgomery Parks   
Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 421 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.MontgomeryParks.org.    

Accessibility 
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice/TTY), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification.