The Howard County Conservancy

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The Howard County Conservancy

The Howard County Conservancy offers year-round educational programs for adults and children, school
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08/28/2026

Another season of camp is over, which means the kids are back at school, families are washing damp and dirty clothes and shoes, and the Conservancy staff are growing accustomed to a little bit of quiet around the grounds. Thank you to the volunteers who took campers on nature walks and on stream exploration, to Patapsco Valley Heritage Area for terrific presentations, to Ralph Massella ( ) for his drumming workshop, and to all the interns, staff and supporters who helped make sure our campers were safe, entertained and well-schooled in nature's wonders.
📸: Ricky He

08/26/2026

Volunteer spotlight: Summer interns
The Conservancy's summer interns are a hardy bunch. From June through August, they're tramping through fields and streams with campers, sawing through invasive grapevines and handling hornets and hot- tempered kids. Many of our stalwart crew, (left to right) Maggie Orlofsky, Emily Allen, Eryn Balchunas, DJ Grava, Isabel Mena and Ella Morgan, are interested in environmental careers, and this summer has given them lots of hands-on opportunities. Big thanks to all!

08/24/2026

Spotted at the Conservancy: Gregg Petersen, naturalist extraordinaire, was testing the East Branch stream at the Conservancy when he found a special caddisfly species: Rhyacophilidae. Nicknamed the Michelin Man for its plumped-up body segments, this predatory caddisfly is an indicator that the stream is in excellent health, Petersen said, since the species is quite pollution-sensitive.

08/22/2026

Tickets to the Conservancy's fundraiser to support environmental education and land preservation, set for Sept. 17 this year, are going fast. Come thirsty! Wine in the Garden, Beer in the Barn is named for what's in our glasses, so we want to thank our drink sponsors for providing libations, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic!
Great gratitude to Cushwa & Rad Pies Taproom / Far Eastern Shore Winery / Brian and Cassie F***h / The Iron Bridge Wine Company / Manor Hill Brewing / Petite Cellars / Sapwood Cellars Brewery / Sobar
For tickets, visit: https://buff.ly/ve2qkvs

📸: Mocktails, Tara Hope Photography; wine glass, Berni Carrieri; wine drinkers in hats and beer bar, Mark Winter

08/21/2026

Lightning struck and we're grateful! The Thunder Hill Lightning Swim Team stayed up late July 11 to swim laps and raise $4,297.96 for the Conservancy. Swimmers found sponsors to pay them per lap. Sixty-one swimmers swam 4,284 laps, which totals out to 58.42 miles. The top swimmer swam more than 6 miles--that's 440 laps. Thunderous applause for all the swimmers and sponsors!
📸: Thunder Hill swimmers were thanked by the Conservancy's Ellie Smith and Ranger, the barred owl, and Lauren Nelson, development director

08/17/2026

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your palates. Wine in the Garden, Beer in the Barn is one month away (Sept. 17, 5 to 8 p.m.), and the 17 caterers who are feeding our guests are planning menus, stocking their pantries and concocting recipes for the event. With great thanks to / & Bar / Atlantic Catering Inc. / / The Elkridge Furnace Inn and Garden House / Evolved Hospitality Group / Lib's Grill Of Towson / / Putting on the Ritz Catering / Santoni's Marketplace & Catering/ Simply Fresh Events / Timber Pizza Company / Zeffert and Gold Catering and Event Planning / Tasty Creations / / Beefalo Bob'sCatering / Cured / 18th & 21st
📸: Tara Hope Photography

08/15/2026

August is hot, but the garden color is hotter! These Maryland plants, blooming now in the Clark Native Plant Garden, offer gorgeous color, as well as habitat and food for pollinators. To top it all off, they require less water than plants imported from other regions. Come out to the Conservancy and see what kind of flower power is in our public native plant gardens, open sunrise to sunset every day of the year.

08/14/2026

Many hands make light(er) work! We are deeply grateful to Nichols Contracting and the 76 construction workers and family members who labored on the Conservancy's grounds in blazing heat and humidity on Aug. 8. The number of construction projects finished that day, including replacing boards and regrading a bridge, building two sets of trail steps, and repairing and rebuilding the goat and two owl enclosures, was astounding. Conservancy volunteers Drew Carlson and Peggy Hannon took the younger kids exploring to find fish and a toad, but the littlest Nichols contractors stayed with their families. Ranger the barred owl, who will benefit from a refurbished enclosure, visited workers, families and kids at lunch. Conservancy board member Justin Blackwell (far left, wearing his own Nichols white tee while he tossed plywood into the truck) stopped by to help with clean-up and thank Nichols Contracting.
With great thanks to the sponsors that donated materials, including Capitol Building Supply, Inc., DiVal Safety Equipment, White Cap, Laney Construction Materials, FASTSIGNS, Carter Lumber and Wicked Wear.

08/11/2026

Joanne DiCrispino often ponders Montjoy Barn while her husband, Paul, volunteers in the demonstration garden nearby. In April, the doors to Montjoy were thrown open and Joanne took a photo of the 1700s-era barn. That picture just won a first-place premium at the Howard County Fair. Joanne says she's usually photographing birds at the Conservancy, but loves the barn, too, especially because it is held together with wooden pegs. The Howard County Fair runs through Saturday, so stop by the exhibits building to see her photo, and don't miss the other wonderful nature photos, flower arrangements, quilts, cakes and preserves on display. And root for Joanne's photo, she's entering it in the Maryland State Fair.
📸: Montjoy Barn, Joanne DiCrispino

08/10/2026

What does the fox say? Find out at an upcoming program, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. Learn about the noises fox make, the engineering skills of beavers and the survival strategies of opossum. A Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist explains the lives, habits and importance of all these mammals, known as furbearers. Fourteen different kinds of furbearers are native to Maryland. Admission is $5 per person. Registration required: https://buff.ly/VT9VJ0F

📸: Fox, Tim Phillips; beaver, Dan Lanier; otter, John Metz

Address

10520 Old Frederick Road
Woodstock, MD
21163

Telephone

+14104658877

Website

http://www.howardnature.org/

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