Susan Hunt inside Kemp Mill/4 Corners (registered)
January 31, 2021, 2:32 PM
Which area of Wheaton Regional Park do you use or visit the most? (Choose 1)
Wooded area (natural surface trails, equestrian riding center)
Please rank in order of importance the top 3 existing park facilities or amenities in Wheaton Regional Park that are most important to you or members of your household.
Please rank in order of importance the top 3 park facilities or amenities which are NOT currently found in the park that would you like to see added?
If you choose 'Other" please describe this amenity in the following question.
If you chose "Other" in the previous question, please describe the facility or amenity NOT currently in Wheaton Regional Park that you would like to see added.
I do not want to see any amenities added. The park has plenty of amenities and is well-used. I used it for birding and want to see the natural areas preserved and particularly no more paved surfaces added.
What is the ONE thing Montgomery Parks should focus on to improve Wheaton Regional Park?
Keeping the natural areas as they are -- reduce mowing and noisy leaf-blowing. The park should not attempt to replicate the manicured lawn but remain as natural as possible.
Please share any other comments about your experience using Wheaton Regional Park.
I am part of a large group of birders who come to Wheaton in the spring and the fall because it provides a valuable stopover area for migrating birds. Birders have seen as many as 18 or 19 warblers in season. In the summer Barn Swallows fly across the meadow areas where Bluebirds nest. Chimney Swifts and Nighthawks fly over Pine Lake in the evening. (I once saw a Nighthawk taking an afternoon nap on the railroad tracks.) Wood Thrushes and towhees sing from the woods. Sometimes an owl is seen or heard. Ospreys make appearances in the spring and summer, and one or two or sometimes three Merlins are seen in the winter. Red-shouldered Hawks nest in the woods, where crows harry them. The amount of cover and food supplies, as well as the wonderful Pine Lake, provide a haven for these birds. But I also enjoy Wheaton all year round -- the peacefulness of the wooded (unpaved) trails along the railroad tracks and around Pine Lake. There is plenty of room for recreation -- the ballfields and picnic areas by Shorefield Road and the neighboring beautiful Brookside Gardens. Let's keep Wheaton Regional Park the way it is, a lovely mix of habitats -- meadow and woods -- and not introduce any more impermeable surfaces that increase flooding (e.g., Pine Lake after a heavy rain on the paved side). and are not environmentally sound -- or needed! We love our park -- just the way it is!
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Which area of Wheaton Regional Park do you use or visit the most? (Choose 1)
Please rank in order of importance the top 3 existing park facilities or amenities in Wheaton Regional Park that are most important to you or members of your household.
Describe the significance of this item
Please rank in order of importance the top 3 park facilities or amenities which are NOT currently found in the park that would you like to see added? If you choose 'Other" please describe this amenity in the following question.
Describe the significance of this item
If you chose "Other" in the previous question, please describe the facility or amenity NOT currently in Wheaton Regional Park that you would like to see added.
I do not want to see any amenities added. The park has plenty of amenities and is well-used. I used it for birding and want to see the natural areas preserved and particularly no more paved surfaces added.What is the ONE thing Montgomery Parks should focus on to improve Wheaton Regional Park?
Keeping the natural areas as they are -- reduce mowing and noisy leaf-blowing. The park should not attempt to replicate the manicured lawn but remain as natural as possible.
Please share any other comments about your experience using Wheaton Regional Park.
I am part of a large group of birders who come to Wheaton in the spring and the fall because it provides a valuable stopover area for migrating birds. Birders have seen as many as 18 or 19 warblers in season. In the summer Barn Swallows fly across the meadow areas where Bluebirds nest. Chimney Swifts and Nighthawks fly over Pine Lake in the evening. (I once saw a Nighthawk taking an afternoon nap on the railroad tracks.) Wood Thrushes and towhees sing from the woods. Sometimes an owl is seen or heard. Ospreys make appearances in the spring and summer, and one or two or sometimes three Merlins are seen in the winter. Red-shouldered Hawks nest in the woods, where crows harry them. The amount of cover and food supplies, as well as the wonderful Pine Lake, provide a haven for these birds. But I also enjoy Wheaton all year round -- the peacefulness of the wooded (unpaved) trails along the railroad tracks and around Pine Lake. There is plenty of room for recreation -- the ballfields and picnic areas by Shorefield Road and the neighboring beautiful Brookside Gardens. Let's keep Wheaton Regional Park the way it is, a lovely mix of habitats -- meadow and woods -- and not introduce any more impermeable surfaces that increase flooding (e.g., Pine Lake after a heavy rain on the paved side). and are not environmentally sound -- or needed! We love our park -- just the way it is!