Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-08-09

would IKE TO thanK you Tor the
publicity and also thank the fol.
lowing firms for their donations
and help:
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Pepsi Cola Bottling Co.
Rock Creek Bottling Co.
Tru-Ade Bottling Co.
Gaithersburg Ice Plant
Wonder Bread
Wilkins Coffee
Smith Pie Co.
Embassy Dairy
'Ag Center
Mann's Potato Chips
"Skip" Fletcher, Chief Chef,
G.W.G.FD.
G.W.G.F.D. Ladies Auxiliary
who helped serve breakfast.
Gaithersburg Safeway Store fe.
male employees who helped in the
kitchen.
The final figures on the heart
dance have not been comnleteS
but 1 will notify you personally
when / can make a full or final
report.
We would also appreciate any,
one who has tickets or funds that
we have not yet collected from to
turn either in so we can reach a
final figure.
Again thanks for your kind
publicity.
Donald Magruder, chairman
Frank Ciarrocchi, co-chairman.
Editor:
1t is anparent from the article
in the Outlook section of the
Washington Post and Times
Herald July % that there are a
number of serious misunder-
standings concerning the re-
ported opposition of the Mont
gomery County Soil Conservation
District to the current proposals
for DEVELOPMENT Of the Rock
Creek Watershed.
These MISUNDERSTANDING stem
principally, 1t seems to me, from
the commendable energies of the
vice-president of the Rock Creek
Watershed Association, Bernard
Frank, who, in his eagerness to
wave back the menacing flood
water, succeeds principally in
splashing cold water on the
whole affair.
The story carried the headline:
Farmers Hold Key to Rock
Creek Floods" This is true to
the extent that the farmers
elected and appointed representa-
tives on the Soil Conservation
District Board must approve any
watershed plans before they can
be put into effect. But to sug.
gest that farmers are acting to
prevent the turning of the key is
to malign the character and con-
science of the Soil Conservation
Board.
What are the facts? The first
step in launching a watershed
program is for the board to sub
NIT a well-documented applica.
ton to the State Soil Conserva.
ton Committee. The state com.
mittee, upon approving the an.
plication, forwards it to the Soil
Conservation Service of the De,
partment of Agriculture. which
sends out watershed work team
to make a thorough. professional
analysis of the problems involved
and the solutions required. Then
and only then do we have a blue
print with which to work and
to which we must bring the sup
port of farmers, suburbanites and
city dwellers alike.
On May 2 the board by unani
nous decision, instructed Fred
Hazen, the district soil conserva
ton technician, to complete the
survey for this initial application
and to do so as soon as possible
providing that the survey did not
interfere with his principal duties
as technical advisor to the farm
ers of Montgomery County. II
other words, delay in the progress
Of the watershed proposals is now
being caused only by the de
mands of conservation-minded
farmers on Mr.. Hazen's time. And
this is the very work - that oil
installing conservation practices
on farms that the article de
clares to be so urgently needed
to reduce the flood potential OF
Rock Creek.
The article confuses the issue
by informing the public in one
breath that during the nine year
period after 1912 "when urbar
development of the watershed
was proceeding at a rapid rate
the number of floods doubled ovei
the previous nine years period
and in the next breath stating
that "the most serious and con