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Welcome to Conservation Montgomery. Our goal is to work as a community to enhance the quality of life in our county just north of Washington, D.C. Established in 1776 and known today as “the gateway to the nation’s capital” Montgomery County is made up of diverse land uses and diverse cultures within our population of almost 1 million people. We have urban communities in the Down County and rural communities Up County. Scroll down for a community calendar, our editorials and other highlights. And check out our navigation tabs (top) to learn more about vital county natural resources worth protecting.

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Home Tree Care

Home Tree Care 101

Above, arborist and CM Board Member Andie Murtha teaches our "Home Tree Care 101." About 85% of the Montgomery County tree canopy is on privately owned land. View photos from our fall 2013 class here.

This fall, we will begin a series of Home Tree Care 101 classes. Each class covers how maintaining mature trees on your home lot can extend the life of a tree and make it less hazardous in a storm, proper pruning, mulching, tree planting and removal of invasive plants that can kill a tree. A certified arborist visits your community and leads and outdoor, hands-on class for your civic or community group.

To schedule a class in your community, click here.

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Would you like to volunteer for Conservation Montgomery? If so, click the button below to find out how to help out in your community.

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A Light through Those Leaves
By Yanci Cueva

I don't want to hear a phone ringing
I just want to hear the birds tweeting.
There is a place that brings me calm
There is a place where a stream goes down.
The sound of the frogs singing and splashing
Can be heard from the end of a foggy trail
Where the view is wonderful and fantastic.
White rocks and lichen. Moss covered trees,

To witness this wonder is what a human needs.

Conifers and pine trees, swinging with the wind,
Make me feel delighted, make me feel the breeze.
The creatures hide from us
Raccoons, squirrels, and deer
They might think we don’t know
But the sounds they make we can hear.
Some trees have fallen, mostly the oldest
Oh, how much I love the deciduous forest.

It starts to rain, and I sit on a rock
Then I see the creek that is coming from the north.
As I cross the bridge I see many fish on the water,
These are swimming happily, like if nothing really matters.
Oh what a shrine I have found!
A divine silence clean, and a clean water from the ground.
I love the song I am hearing. It’s the spring I’m seeing.
It comes from the roots of a tree
If you ask for a wish, it would give you three.

Finally, the cloudy sky disappears,
And I want to climb the highest tree.
I feel the warm sunlight coming through the leaves
No more rain falls. This is such a gift.
Anyways, I don’t want to go home tonight
I just want to keep seeing the light.

The poem above is work generated by the Conservation Montgomery Young Environmental Writers (YEW) Workshop. We will publish various forms of environmental writing by local high school students who participated in this project funded by a grant from the Ohio-based Green Shanny Foundation. Read more about the YEW project in our latest e-newsletter.