Little Bennett Park's campground provides a close-in, affordable alternative for an excellent family adventure!

Gas prices got you down?

Located right here near Montgomery County's northern border, the cool, clean and heavily forested campground at Little Bennett Park offers a great opportunity for a wide range of inexpensive and free things to do. And most residents of Montgomery County can reach the campground on less than one gallon of gas!

Each of Little Bennett's 91 campsites provides a tranquil setting with ample opportunities to enjoy the scenic splendor of the park. Campsite amenities include a parking pad, a picnic table and a campfire ring. Many sites have a tent pad and a lantern post. Twenty-five campsites are available with electrical hookups.

The campground also offers numerous weekend activities which may include children's crafts, a guided nature hike, ice cream socials, hayrides, and use of the game room during inclement weather. Read a complete list of the campground's planned activities this summer.

Also, if you plan and "extended weekend" camping trip and check in any day Sunday through Thursday, you can get a 50% off coupon worth ½ off a 1-hour boat rental at Black Hill Park boats (see below) or ½ off up to 4 admissions to the Splash Playground at South Germantown Recreational Park. These coupons are available and valid through Labor Day.

Beyond the campground area, Little Bennett Park's 23 miles of scenic natural surface trails provide access to 3,700 mostly forested acres, gorgeous meadows and wetlands, exceptional birding and wildlife viewing, and several interesting historical sites.

An excellent, 18-hole public golf course in the Park offers stunning views of nearby Sugarloaf Mountain and the rolling hills that typify this part of the county. Several picnic sites scattered around the park and its challenging orienteering course provide other possibilities for experiencing the Park's splendid outdoor environment.

Plus, located in the woodland heart of Montgomery County's Agriculture Reserve, campers at Little Bennett Park can experience numerous other great hiking opportunities nearby. Patuxent River State Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Monocacy Natural Resources Area are all just a few minutes away. Plus, another great nearby Montgomery County Park – Black Hill Regional Park – offers numerous nature programs, an informative visitor center and a 500 acre lake for boating and fishing.

And for those who can't vacation without eating out, the city of Frederick offers dozens of great restaurants about 15 minutes away.

For more information about things to do in the great outdoors of Northern Montgomery, visit the County Parks Department's excellent and highly informative website, Wild Montgomery.

Sitting by your Little Bennett campfire, you and your family are sure to enjoy a memorable outdoor family bonding adventure that you will likely want to repeat next year, if not sooner. Posted July 14, 2008.

On Sunday afternoon, an historic celebration was held for the former Wims meadow baseball field in Little Bennett Regional Park. The event, attended by about 75 people, took place on the former ballfield which is located on the south side of Hyattstown Mill Road, opposite the Browning Run trailhead there.

Formerly an overgrown meadow, park staff mowed the former field and outfitted it with a new backstop, painted foul lines in the grass, and installed temporary bases. Youth teams from Clarksburg Baseball Inc. were invited to the event and played a few innings of exhibition baseball for those who attended.

The field achieved its prominence by being the homefield for the first organized African American baseball team in Montgomery County. In the 1930s Jim Wims, who owned the former farm where the field is located, offered the use of his field to local black youths who were anxious to play the game but lacked a site to do so.

Co-hosted by FOLBers Eloise Woodfield and Joann Woodson (Wims' niece) and Park Manager Wendy Hanley, yesterday's celebration provided an opportunity for the Parks Department and Friends of Little Bennett to offer Jim Wims' son, 93 year-old Wilson Wims, a belated appreciation for his family's generosity.

Woodson recounted a few of her memories from the days when she was a child and used to visit her uncle's 175 acre farm where the field was located. She remembered the farm as a cool haven where cows, hogs and chicken were raised, and lumber from trees grown on the property was used by her uncle in building his barn and fences. She also recalled use of the baseball field where her aunt and other ladies prepared hot dogs, hamburgs, and fried chicken for fans attending the games.

The black teams that played at Wims Field were quite prominent, according to Wims. Wims Field home teams such as the Bluebirds and Wildcats also travelled around the mid-Atlantic region to play other African American teams from cities as far away as Rocky Mount, North Carolina in the south to Philadelphia in the north. One year the local Wildcats team compiled a perfect 37-0 record, and at least two members of the team graduated to become professionals in the former Negro Baseball League. Wilson Wims recalled especially the pitching prowess of Dicky King who once helped hold opponents to 56 consecutive scoreless innings.

Wims (a former player himself) and teammate Henry Chaney received medallions from Woodfield and Hanley recognizing their accomplishments. Other medallions were given to Wims' sister Althea and George Hackey and Bobby Gray, two other living former players who could not attend the ceremony.

View a few photos of the event. - posted June 23, 2008.

Parks Department experts and naturalists will lead several walks and other activities in Little Bennett this summer beginning in early June. While naturalists from Black Hills Regional Park have led similar hikes in Little Bennett on an occasional basis in the past, this year the number of such activities has been increased to help better serve the growing population of Clarksburg and other upcounty communities. Among topics to be explored in these walks include:

• The condition of the Little Bennett watershed and stream life in the Park
• Park management efforts to protect the diverse wildlife of the Park and restore uncommon species
• Bluebirds and beavers
• Also, a van tour of Clarksburg wetlands will explore efforts to restore the Baltimore Checkerspot, the Maryland state butterfly

Here are the details.
The Beavers Of Little Bennett
Wednesday June 4, 4-6pm
Children Ages 6-12
Program #: 54806
Fee: $8
Take a hike to check out the new lodge, dams and mud scent posts created by nature's best engineers. It's fun, food (granola bars, wood chip-covered donuts, and beaver root beer!) and adventure for all! Meet at Browning Run Trailhead parking area on Clarksburg Road in Little Bennett Regional Park, 1/2 mile north of the Kingsley Trail parking lot.

Little Bennett Creek Watershed Walk
Wednesday, June 18, 10am - noon
Ages 18 and up
Program #: 55149
Free
Join Parks Department Aquatic Ecologist Doug Redmond for a walk along Little Bennett Creek and its tributaries to discuss the condition of this important watershed and the impacts of local land use. We'll observe some of the creatures that live in the stream and discuss the county's stream monitoring program. Meet at Black Hills Visitor Center then travel to Little Bennett. Easy hike.

A Walk in the Park
Wednesday, July 9, 9-11am
Ages 18 and up
Program #: 55400
Fee:$8
Bluebirds in Little Bennett Regional Park. Meet at Little Bennett Golf Course clubhouse.

Van Trip: Clarksburg Wetlands
Wednesday, July 16, 10am-noon
Ages 18 and up
Program #: 54700
Fee:$8
Visit some wetland sites in the Clarksburg area that are home to our exquisite state butterfly, the Baltimore Checkerspot. Learn how local conseervation efforts are helping to restore this species and its habitat, and find out how you can help. Bring binoculars or borrow a pair from the naturalist. Meet at Black Hills Visitor Center.

Wildlife of Little Bennett Park
Saturday, August 2, 8-10 am
Ages 12 and up
Program #: 55150
Free
Join Parks Dept. Natural Resources Manager Rob Gibbs for a morning stroll to look for birds and other wildlife in our largest park: Little Bennett. We will discuss management efforts to maintain a wide variety of habitats in order to protect the park's rich biodiversity and to restore uncommon species. Bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at Black Hills Visitor Center then travel to Little Bennett. Easy hike.

Hike at Little Bennett Park (Observe bluebirds and beavers)
Wednesday, August 20, 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Fee: $4
Program #: 54200
Ages 6 and up
Come for a morning hike to observe bluebirds and beavers in Little Bennett Park. Meet at Browning Run Trailhead parking area on Clarksburg Road in Little Bennett Regional Park, 1/2 mile north of the Kingsley Trail parking lot. Wear your bug repellant, sunscreen, hat, hiking boots and bring water.

Please remember that advance registration is required and limited for all these programs. REGISTRATION BEGINS MAY 15!

To register for any of the above activities (you will need a customer number and an account personal identification number or PIN), go to: https://www.parkpass.org/MyAccount/MyAccountUserLogin.asp?SCheck=256754701&SDT=39575.4091203704&Referrer=https://www.parkpass.org/MyAccount/MyAccount.asp

If you are new to PARKPASS, to sign up go to: https://www.parkpass.org/MyAccount/MyAccountCreateNewAccount.asp

Want to browse the Parks Department's online catalog of all offerings? Visit: http://www.parkpass.org/Activities/Activities.asp?SCheck=256754701&SDT=39575.4119791667

Inch-by-inch, yard-by-yard large areas of Little Bennett Regional Park are slowly being overtaken by renegade bands of invaders from the plant world.

Non-native invasive plants (or NNIs) are gradually but continuously displacing native plants and threatening the Parks delicately balanced ecosystem. Fortunately, unlike some down county parks, non-native invasive plants have not yet reached a tipping point in Little Bennett. But Friends of Little Bennett and others who care about the park need to start taking action now to keep the invaders at bay before we begin to lose control over the problem.

And this is exactly what Eagle Scout candidate Kishore Radhakrishnan of Boy Scout Troop 489, Germantown, MD has been doing.

Leading an enthusiastic group of scout and adult volunteers with GPS receivers in hand, Kishore recently scouted out Little Bennett's Wims Meadow and identified the location of over 1000 non-native multiflora rose bushes in a roughly 6 or 7 acre plot of land. Japanese honeysuckle -- another invasive plant that smothers stately trees with its insidious vines -- was also on Kishore's watch list that day and a few dozen of that plant were sited as well.

Using the data gathered by Kishore's volunteers and GIS data from the Department of Parks, Friend of Little Bennett Matt Kendall created a map depicting the incidence of these two slowly spreading invaders in the meadow. View Kishore's and Matt's non-native invasive plant map. (Please note that numerous conditions can affect the accuracy of GPS readings to within a few meters of so of the actual earth-bound location of the object measured.)

After creating the map, Kishore and his volunteers analyzed the data. They then worked with Little Bennett Park management to determine the best site for the second aspect of Kishore's project: Remove the NNIs discovered and plotted in their mapping survey of Wims Meadow.

So the volunteers returned to the meadow a month or so later and spent another day removing the largest patch of multiflora rose they had found. The site they targeted was a football field-sized area that had become an impenetrable mass of multiflora rose along a scenic stretch of Ballfield Tributary. View photos depicting the groups project, including before and after shots.

In summing up his Eagle Scout experience, Kishore remarked about how good his project had made him feel. He felt that he'd made an important, tangible improvement to the Park while overcoming some real challenges along the way. He said, "This was one of the most complex Eagle Scout projects I have participated in. We had the technology parts like learning how to use GPS systems, and learning about non-native invasive plants and how they are ruining our parks and need to be controlled. Then we also had the outside part with surveying to collect the map data, and then the whole removal part of the project. I got a lot of experience in organizing, coordinating and leading others. It was truly a great experience."

Karl Moline, Scoutmaster of Kishore's Troop 489, said that Eagle Scout projects apply leadership skills learned over the course of a scout's entire career and also further develop those leadership skills through a challenging public service project. He added, "We have had a good experience with the Friends of Little Bennett and were glad to see you are working with scouts in the Park."

What is significant about Kishore's map?

Kishore and his volunteers performed an important public service in cleaning up a huge patch of invasive plants. But his mapping effort was probably even more important.

At 3700 acres, the sheer size of Little Bennett requires that those who want to attack the growing NNI problem first need to determine the principal target areas in the Park. Plus there are 20 types of non-native invasive plants found in Little Bennett, some more threatening and prevalent than others.

Non-native plant mapping efforts like Kishore's help us identify where the worst problems are and what our priority areas of attention should be.

NNIs are more prone to open areas than heavily forested ones, and this helps focus our mapping efforts. And fortunately the vast majority of Little Bennett Park is under heavy forest cover. So initially we will focus on getting better data on NNIs in the open meadows, wetlands, and along the trails and forest edges of the park.

But we also need to recognize that earlier gypsy moth infestations in the Park killed or defoliated several tall oak and other trees in Little Bennett. These holes in the canopy allowed sunlight to reach the forest floor in places. In these areas, non-natives such as multiflora rose are beginning to get established and prevent normal successional re-forestation. So we need to be vigilant about the spread of NNIs throughout the Parks forested regions, as well.

NNI data like that collected by Kishore, when layered with other GIS data from the Parks Department, can help determine light, soil, and other conditions most conducive to the spread of these alien plants. This, in turn, can help further refine search and control strategies.

NNI mapping data can also provide useful insights when conducting follow-up surveys in areas that have been cleared of these plants by helping to determine the effectiveness of various control strategies.

Finally, when combined with photography of areas of the park that are being over-run by NNIs, mapping data can hopefully help persuade citizens and public officials to devote more volunteer time and public resources to addressing the problem.

As Friends of Little Bennett President Lou Sousa summed up, "You cannot control a problem like this until you start to measure it. Otherwise, how will you know which battle to fight or whether or not you're winning the war?"

So Friends of Little Bennett plan to explore the potential for similar "recon patrols" and "blitzkrieg attacks" on unsuspecting invaders in our attempt to win this war on weeds in Little Bennett. - posted April 26, 2008

The Friends of Little Bennett will join dozens of other volunteers and Park staff in participating in the Garlic Mustard Challenge on Saturday, April 26 from 9 to 11. The Garlic Mustard Challenge is a contest in which several county parks and other groups are competing to find and remove the most garlic mustard. Winners will be based on the weight of their "harvest" of the plant during a two-hour period.

Garlic mustard is a low growing non-native invasive plant that is taking over large swaths of several county parks. It poses a severe threat to native plants and animals in forest communities in our area. Many native wildflowers that complete their life cycles in the springtime (e.g., spring beauty, wild ginger, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, hepatica, toothworts, and trilliums) occur in the same habitat as garlic mustard. Once introduced to an area, garlic mustard outcompetes native plants by aggressively monopolizing light, moisture, nutrients, soil and space. Wildlife species that depend on these early plants for their foliage, pollen, nectar, fruits, seeds and roots are deprived of these essential food sources when garlic mustard replaces them.

In addition to the contest winner among competing county parks and other groups, all individual participants will receive a participation prize. Also, you will be further rewarded by the good feeling you will get from helping to preserve and keep beautiful Montgomery County's best park. And you can get to know some Friends of Little Bennett and others who are combining forces to protect and preserve this great park!

Volunteers are welcome but you need to register in advance. Contact the Parks Department's Garlic Mustard Coordinator by emailing Lynette at MNCPPC.

If you come, wear long pants, long sleeves and comfortable shoes. Gloves will be provided. Student Service Learning credit is authorized.

Directions: From I-270, take Exit 18 East (Rte. 121; Stringtown Road) to the first traffic light. Turn left at the light onto Gateway Center Drive (remaining on MD121) and then turn right at the first stop sign onto Clarksburg Road. Continue on Clarksburg Road across MD 355 for about 2 miles. After crossing the bridge over Little Bennett Creek, immediately turn right into the Kingsley parking area. We will be working near the creek on both sides of Clarksburg Road. Most online and printed maps have outdated road names and alignments in the Clarksburg area. Event will go on rain or shine. Map to Kingsley Parking Area - posted April 21, 2008

This is the busiest time of year for Wendy Duke, Friend of Little Bennett from Ijamsville. As soon as spring arrives, she begins her weekly rounds of monitoring at least seven seasonal (or vernal) pools in Little Bennett Regional Park.

"The poor amphibians have no one to look after them. Amphibians are an important part of the whole network of creatures that live in the forests. If there were no seasonal pools, there would be no spring peepers," Duke said.

Duke is one of a handful of volunteers statewide, and the only one in Little Bennett, who have been trained to monitor the status of the seasonal pools in county parks. Once thought of as only temporary vernal or spring pools, many of these pools last until fall or even year-round, hence they are now called seasonal pools.

"We are initiating a countywide project to monitor seasonal pools. Wendy Duke is the first person to volunteer and be trained as a monitor," Tina Schneider, Wetlands Specialist with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) said.

According to Schneider, these pools are formed in depressions and are fed by groundwater or surface runoff. They maybe only a few feet in diameter and a few inches or few feet deep, but they play a essential role in the reproductive cycle and life of numerous amphibians, invertebrates, and plants that are part of the larger ecosystem that is Little Bennett Regional Park.

"Countywide," Schneider said, "these pools are disappearing at a rapid rate due to development. Little Bennett is the ideal laboratory to study how these pools fit into the overall ecology of the county as the Park is one of the largest swaths of upland forest left in the county. I plan to compare this protected ecosystem with the rest of the county and establish a baseline. This study aims to find out what's out there now, and what might be left in five years."

In order for the amphibians that live in these pools to reproduce and survive, they need a buffer zone of at least 750 feet around each seasonal pool. Studies have shown that if buildings or other human activities disturb as little as 25% of this buffer zone, then amphibian populations decline.

Almost two years ago Duke became interested in seasonal pools and helped Denise Gibbs, a Naturalist for the MNCPPC at Black Hills Regional Park, monitor some seasonal pools in Rachel Carson Park and Magruder Branch Park. And this spring Duke received more training at a workshop on seasonal pools conducted by the Maryland Water Monitoring Council.

"Statewide," Duke said, "seasonal pool monitoring projects are just getting started. Some state officials are taking a closer look at the significance of what lives in these pools. An invertebrate called a copepod inhabits seasonal pools in Little Bennett, Duke said. These little bugs eat an enormous amount of mosquito eggs. In light of the increasing number of mosquito born illnesses that seem to crop up each year, copepods may someday be used to control mosquitoes."

"But the past few years of drought have not been good for the seasonal pools in Little Bennett. If the pools do not last at least through June," Duke said, "the frogs, newts, and salamanders that live there can't reproduce or reach maturity. Last year, the amphibians in the pools that Duke monitors were wiped out when their pools dried up too early for them to reach maturity."

"Seasonal pools are fragile ecosystems within Little Bennett. If you ever come across one, feel free to observe it from its shores. Even properly trained seasonal pool monitors attempt to minimize the need to enter a pool and, if they do, specific sterilization techniques are followed," Duke said.

If you would like more information about the seasonal pools in Little Bennett or to volunteer to monitor them, contact Tina Schneider at 301-495-2101 or e-mail. -posted April 4, 2008

View a few photos of Wendy Duke at work in the seasonal pools of Little Bennett.

The largest park in the Montgomery County park system, Little Bennett Regional Park also possesses the widest variety of plant life in the system. A total of 249 different types of native trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses and other forms of vegetation are found in the Park. The variety of vegetation is indicative of the quality of the Little Bennett ecosystem and contributes to the great diversity of birds and other wildlife forms found in the Park.

We have recently added comprehensive lists of the many different forms of plant life found in the Park to the Vegetation section of our website. Each individual plant form on these lists is linked to a website or fact sheet that provides photos and descriptions of that plant.

In addition to native plants, 20 different non-native vegetative species are found in Little Bennett. Fortunately, non-native plants have not yet established themselves as firmly or widely in Little Bennett as they have in several down-county parks. However, increasingly they threaten to displace the Park's native plants -- especially in unmown meadows, wetlands, forest edges and other areas where sunlight can reach ground level. If you would like to help Friends of Little Bennett begin to address the growing non-native invasive plant problem in the Park, simply contact us.

We hope to gradually expand the Vegetation section of our website by providing more of an interpretive focus to it. This would include more information about conditions most conducive to different types of plants (e.g. wetlands, hillsides, sunny, shady, plants often found in association etc.) as well as representative areas of the Park where different types of plants can be found. Our intention is to help foster understanding, enjoyment and appreciation for the natural world found in the Park.

The Friends of Little Bennett wish to thank Carole Bergmann, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission's Forest Ecologist, for providing these lists and helping us improve public awareness about vegetation in Little Bennett Park. - posted March 25, 2008

Little Bennett Regional Parks historic Hyattstown Mill will be the site of a poetry reading event on Saturday March, 22. Held annually around St. Patricks Day by the Hyattstown Mill Arts Project (HMAP), the event will begin with a potluck party at 7 followed by the readings which will start at 7:30 p.m. The event offers the opportunity to meet others who appreciate poetry and the well-written word while taking in a Montgomery County landmark--all within the setting of Little Bennetts rustic outdoor beauty. See a photo of the mill on the right.

HMAP holds several reading events throughout the year, sometimes in conjunction with art exhibitions, and invites the participation of readers of poetry, novels, short stories and essays as well as other forms of writing such as articles and screen plays. Presenters may of course read from their own creations or they may interpret the works of the famous, infamous and not so famous writers of the past or present day. Poets and readers are invited to register in advance by calling 301-972-7689.

To reach Hyattstown Mill, enter Little Bennett Park on Hyattstown Mill Road which is just to the right of the firestation in Hyattstown and then drive about a quarter mile to the mill on the right. As a reminder, the mill is unheated, so dress appropriately. - posted February 28, 2008

A new parking lot has been added along Clarksburg Road, the heavily forested country road that cuts through the center of Little Bennett Regional Park. The new lot is adjacent to the trailhead for the re-routed Froggy Hollow Trail, and has capacity for about 12-16 cars. In combination with the recently expanded Kingsley parking lot located about a quarter mile further down Clarksburg Road, the two lots have boosted considerably visitor parking capacity within the Park's central core.

Construction of the new gravel surface lot was accompanied by the re-routing of part of Froggy Hollow trail. Previously the trail intersected directly with the sometimes heavily trafficked Clarksburg Road creating a potentially dangerous hazard for trail users. The re-routed Froggy Hollow trail now terminates more safely at the new parking lot.

The re-routed segment of Froggy Hollow trail cuts through a 3-4 acre grove of tall pine trees helping to enhance the beauty of the experience for trail users. Additional modifications of Froggy Hollow trail are planned for the spring. The trail will be rerouted so that it no longer plunges down steep, erodible slopes but rather follows more closely the contour of the Park in the area. The Friends of Little Bennett expect to assist in the further rerouting of Froggy Hollow trail and welcome other volunteers who might like to join us. If you might be interested, contact us. - posted February 12, 2008.

View a few photos of the new parking lot and rerouted segment of Froggy Hollow trail.

Ground Hog Day was auspicious for Little Bennett as the Park released it spring and summer campground schedule in anticipation of the warm and sunny days that lie ahead. Campground Manager Rosemary Nichols has once again put together a fun, interesting and full schedule of activities for campers. Among activities planned for the campground this season include 'Meet the Mid-Atlantic Search and Rescue Dogs!' which will demonstrate some of the incredible skills of these animals. Hayrides are another feature of the upcoming campground schedule and offer another unique and fun way to see parts of the Park. Among other planned activities are group campfires, outdoor movies, crafting sessions in Hawks Reach Activity Center, trail hikes and ice cream socials. - posted February 6, 2008.

See the campground's full planned schedule of activities.      See the campground's operating schedule and fees.

During the cold and snowy weekend of January 18 and 19, several hundred Montgomery County Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venture Crews, and their adult leaders braved subfreezing temperatures and slushy grounds during their annual Klondike Derby at Little Bennett Regional Park. In the event, which has been held in Little Bennett since 1995, patrols of 6-8 scouts rotate through over a dozen stations that test various scouting skills such as knot tying, compass reading, fire building and first aid. Each patrol is rated on the ability of team members to demonstrate mastery of skills tested at each station as well as other factors such as how spirited they are and whether or not they are in uniform. All patrols pack survival gear (ropes, extra jackets, water and other materials needed at the testing stations) in dog sleds that are typically customized to fit the personality of each patrol, and some years are outfitted with wheels if the snowy weather does not cooperate. The scouts push their sleds from station to station throughout the campground area as they participate in the Derby. This years Klondike Derby was preceded by a snowstorm which left the campers to pitch their tents on cold and wet surfaces for their Friday night stay. Then, following their bonfire on Saturday night, the 750 scouts retired to their tents to endure subfreezing temperatures and stiff wind chills. All this undoubtedly helped make the 2008 Klondike Derby a particularly memorable bonding adventure for all participants. - posted January 23, 2008

View photos of the 2008 Klondike Derby.

According to wildlife officials with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the eleventh annual managed deer hunt in Little Bennett Regional Park, which was held in early December, was a success.

The park was closed from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7 as part of Montgomery County's Deer Management Plan. While the first day of the hunt was cancelled due to high winds, 125 deer were harvested in the three remaining days, Ryan Butler, senior natural resources specialist with MNCPPC said. Each day of the hunt, between 30 - 35, pre-qualified and randomly selected hunters roamed the park.

"Over the years, we've heard from countless residents about the value of these operations. We appreciate this support and park patrons patience with the park closures during our annual deer management season," Bill Hamilton, wildlife ecologist with the parks department said.

Since managed deer hunting began in Little Bennett in 1996, hunters have bagged between 88 - 286 deer per hunt. The highest total came in 2000 - 2001, when weather conditions were ideal and there were six days of hunting, Ryan said.

The hunting program has had an impact on the deer population in Little Bennett. Using Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) technology in airplanes, wildlife officials have found that the deer population density has dropped from 135 deer per square mile to about 30 deer per square mile over the last 10 years.

Ironically, Ryan and Hamilton said, the deer in Little Bennett have proven to be resilient. Surveys done during the last three years have shown the deer population in the park is slightly increasing. They speculate that this may be due to loss of habitat outside the park and the deer reproductive dynamics adjusting to the pressures of hunting.

They still believe, however, that the managed deer-hunting program in Little Bennett has made a difference. It has reduced the number of deer vehicle collisions on roads adjacent to the park, alleviated some of the damage caused by the deer to the forest undergrowth within the park, and has somewhat reduced crop damage to nearby agricultural lands.

"Since the inception of the county's deer management program, we are continuing to see a slow and steady decline in the number of deer vehicle collisions in the county ..." Hamilton said.

And while the managed deer hunt is finished in Little Bennett, the countywide hunt in other parks across the county is ongoing. From January 1 through March 31, 2008, at different times six county parks will be closed from sunset to sunrise so park police sharpshooters can harvest deer, Kelli Holsendolph, spokesperson for the parks said. "Park Closed" signs will be posted at all of these locations prior to the hunts, she said.

For more information regarding the deer hunt in Little Bennett or concerning the deer management program throughout the park system, check out the website www.mc-mncppc.org/naturalresources/index.shtm. - posted January 16, 2008

Soon after Charles Deering (the Friends of Little Bennett's non-native invasive plant coordinator) brought to the attention of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission one of the largest infestations of Asian Bittersweet in the Montgomery County park system, MNCPPC's Lyn Scaffidi went to work. After Charles told Lyn of the infestation on the Froggy Hollow trail in Little Bennett Park, Lyn sent out a team to attack this non native, invasive, climbing vine species which has taken over many parks in the lower section of the county. View photos of the area before and after the MNCPPC crew did its work. - posted Jan 4, 2008

"This plant is a problem because it quickly takes over an area, growing over all the native vegetation, out competing the (native) plants for light and resources, weakening the trees and reducing its chances of survival. The weight of the vines can cause trees to loose large branches and sometimes cause the tree itself to fall over due to the excessive weight of the bittersweet vines," said Scaffidi, who is an invasive plant specialist for the county parks.

She points out that this insidious plant was introduced into the US for its holiday decorative value. The plants red berries ripen in the fall and persist into the early winter. It was even featured once on the cover of Southern Living magazine, Scaffidi said. The creepy plant is spread by birds, which love to eat the berries and then drop the seeds everywhere.

The patch of Asian Bittersweet that was found near Froggy Hollow was huge and will require many hours of manual work to completely eradicate it. While park staff and some volunteers have done much of the initial heavy work, FOLB and MNCPPC are planning another workday soon to finish the job. Volunteers will meet at the new Froggy Hollow trail head parking lot on Clarksburg Road at 1:30 on March 15. If you would like to join us, please bring workgloves and we will provide equipment, water and plenty of good company!

Note that the procedure to eradicate bittersweet vines typically entails cutting out a section of vine 2 or 3 feet in length near the ground, killing the vine which ultimately falls to the ground after it dies.