Rachel Carson Celebration 2008
Develop your sense of wonder!
Join us on Saturday, April 26, 2008
Discover your sense of wonder and celebrate the life of Rachel Carson. The Parks Department is sponsoring 3 hikes in the Rachel Carson Greenway and the Rachel Carson Council is sponsoring an Open House at the Rachel Carson House.
Rachel Carson Greenway Hikes
Montgomery Parks is hosting three hikes celebrating the Rachel Carson Greenway for you to enjoy. All hikes start promptly at 10am, rain or shine.
- "The Sense of Wonder" - Rachel Carson Conservation Park, 22201 Zion Road, Olney
Revel in the natural beauty on this two-mile trek through one of the county's premier conservation areas, led by Montgomery Parks natural resources expert Rob Gibbs. map 
Underground Railroad History - Woodlawn Manor Park, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring
Learn about the fascinating history of the Rural Legacy Trail on this two-mile hike, led by Montgomery Parks cultural resources experts. map- Families and Kids Nature Fun - Burnt Mills Dam, 10700 Colesville Road (Rt. 29), Silver Spring
Enjoy fun and activities on this one-mile hike along the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, led by Montgomery Parks naturalist Steve Findley. map
Open House at the Historic Home of Rachel Carson
Cliff Hall, Diana Post, and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., invite you to an Open House at the Historic Home where Rachel Carson wrote "Silent Spring". Environmental Information will be availbable from the Rachel Carson Council. Enjoy the View from Rachel Carson’s Window. There will be a Children’s Program, Door Prizes and Delightful Organic Treats
LOCATION - The Rachel Carson House
(a National Historic Landmark)
11701 Berwick Road,
Silver Spring, Md. 20904,
E-mail: RCCouncil@aol.com,
Phone: 301- 593-7507
PROGRAM - The last 10 minutes of each of the four major presentations will be a question period.
- 1:00 – 1:10 “Welcome!” by Michelle Orel Crosby who is “Miss Earth for the Nation’s Capital,” and will represent this area in the Miss Earth USA Contest this July.
- 1:10 – 1:40 “Green Economics” by Dr. Joshua Farley of the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont. He is a noted lecturer and an expert on and co-author of a book on environmental economics.
- 1:40 – 2:10 “Rachel Carson & The Endangered Species Act*” by Dr. Stanley Temple,
Senior Fellow and Science Advisor at the Aldo Leopold Foundation at the University of Wisconsin. *This is “the most important piece of conservation legislation in the Nation’s history” (E. O. Wilson). - 2:10 – 2:25 “Performance in the Folk Music Tradition” by Betty and the Baby Boomers, a highly talented musical quartet who contributed to our CD, “Songs for the Earth, A Tribute to Rachel Carson” and also performed at the launch concert for the CD. Their music reflects their strong commitment to environmental issues.
- 2:25 – 2:50 “Solitary Bees and the Honey Bee Crisis” by Dr. Suzanne Batra, formerly of the Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. She is a renowned specialist on insect ecology and behavior. We need to know more about other insect pollinators as alternatives to honey bees.
- 2:50 – 3:00 “Portrayal of Rachel Carson” by Kate Campbell Stevenson, singer and actress. Her dramatic performance, from her one-woman show, Women: Back to the Future, captures Rachel Carson’s sense of wonder and her passionate plea to protect our environment.
- 3:00 – 3:30 “Landscaping Without Chemicals” by Michael Talbot, certified arborist and president of a Cape Cod landscaping firm specializing in ecological landscaping and design. Mr. Talbot, a cofounder of the Ecological Landscaping Association has authored many articles on this topic.
Who Was Rachel Carson?
Rachel Carson is considered the founder of the modern environmental movement. Her most famous book, "Silent Spring", alerted the world to the dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides on nature. She wrote Silent Spring in 1962 while living in Silver Spring, Maryland.
These writings led to the eventual ban of DDT and are considered one of the most influential books of the 20th Century. Rachel Carson died of breast cancer in 1964. She died in the midst of defending her book to Congress, the media and the pesticide conglomerates. Rachel Carson’s message about the need for us to be stewards of the environment is just as compelling today as it was 50 years ago.
We are indeed blessed in Montgomery County to have such a close connection to Rachel Carson. The celebration on April 26 offer us the opportunity to celebrate her love of nature and remind us of Rachel Carson’s legacy of environmental stewardship.
Last update: April 10, 2008
