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Blandair Foundation's Plan Endorsed by Howard County Sierra Club
December 15, 2000: In its newsletter, Patuxent Voice, the
Sierra Club, Howard County Group, endorsed the use of Blandair Farm planned
by the Blandair Foundation. The Sierra Club had received a comparison of the
Foundation's plans and the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks'
plan.
The signed article stated, "The
Foundation's plans are more in line with Sierra Club values." The
Foundation plans to use the land as a research and demonstration area for
best use practices in managing open space in urbanized areas and for
educational programs that promote rural values in an urban area, and it plans
to restore and preserve the historic buildings on the farm. The County's plan
is to develop a portion of the land with graded playing fields and parking
lots.
Among the values presented in the plans of
the Blandair Foundation are:
- a more tranquil environment surrounding
Blandair Farm,
- open space management which economically
provides visual screening, esthetically controlled human access, and
food an cover for wildlife,
- improved wildlife populations and techniques
for enjoying them as well as procedures for controlling problematic
species such as deer,
- introduction of wholesome, high-value food
crops and cultivation techniques, fertilized with locally obtained
organic mater and nutrients,
- reduced living costs due to more efficient
nutrient management,
- dissemination of information by demonstrations
and written reports dealing with food production, landscaping, wildlife
enhancement, and control of nuisance animals,
- educational opportunities for a broad spectrum
of our society, allowing children with disabilities to contribute to
society by using skills learned in such activities as gardening and
animal husbandry,
- preservation and presentation of the historic Blandair Mansion, barns, and other
outbuildings in an appropriate historical context, and
- lower taxes because the Blandair Foundation's
activities would be funded by a variety of sources to support its
research and its social, educational, and historic preservation goals.
For further information on the two plans
and on the Blandair Foundation, please contact the Blandair Foundation at
(937) 439-5269, or the Foundation's Division of Wildlife and Open Space
Research at (410) 531-3117 or (410) 531-2400.
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