Sligo Golf Course

September 2007 FOSC Newsletter article

The Montgomery County Revenue Authority - which owns and operates the county airpark, golf courses and other self-supporting facilities for public use - is proposing to add to the Sligo golf course a lighted, 70-station, double-deck driving range with associated netting, one or possibly two miniature golf courses with lighting, and extend the operating hours until 10:00 pm.

The Friends of Sligo Creek Board strongly supports the continued presence of the golf course. It opposes expansion, however, for these reasons:

A poor precedent is set in allowing any publicly owned land surrounded by forest cover to be essentially destroyed by removal of its trees and shrubs. Park land is public land, and destroying this scarce down-county resource in exchange for profits should not be allowed.
The proposed late-night lights and noise would undoubtedly disturb the woodpeckers, hawks, foxes, and other wildlife known to have inhabited the course in recent years, and we believe could cause many to leave.
Adding impervious surfaces for parking, a larger restaurant, the driving range and associated sidewalks, is counterproductive to reducing stormwater in Sligo. The additional stormwater sent to the creek not only adds pollution but also increases the annual erosion of Sligo's banks. The additional sediment clogs fish gills and covers grasses when it reaches Chesapeake Bay.

According to the current plans, a majority of the trees and shrubs which help retain water would be removed from the expansion areas. The unusual, older evergreens in the center would be replaced by a driving range, and those at the edges - perhaps including the rare-for-Sligo yellow pine - would be cut down.

The golf course presently doubles as a site for recreation, a site for park-users to walk when the course is not in use, and a site for wildlife habitat. We see no compelling reason to lose these assets.

We are asking our members to weigh in with their opinions on the proposed plan. The Park and Planning Board, County Council and County Executive need to hear from the public.

You can send emails to Tara Jacob in the Revenue Authority, or write to the County Council or County Executive expressing your concerns, questions and feelings about the proposed changes. Contact information for the Montgomery County Council can be found at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/elections/ElectedOfficialsList.asp

This proposed expansion will impact the environment of Sligo Creek for decades to come. The time to get involved in making it more park-friendly is now.