The Howard County Conservancy

10/19/2026

A little rain didn't keep this curious group away! Just a few short weeks ago, the Conservancy welcomed guests for a woodland walk on the trails to honor the fall equinox with a hike and campfire. The legends were told, the songs were sung, and community was cultivated. A sweet taste of the incoming fall weather was well accompanied with the crunch of the smore's

📸: Kim Zaruba

10/18/2026

Volunteer Spotlight: Joanne Howard
One of Joanne Howard's favorite spots at the Conservancy is the stump of the champion tulip poplar by the Brown family farmhouse. She often brings students on field trips, she says, because the stump is a whole world if you look closely. A constant presence from November through June (she migrates to Maine for the summer), Joanne and her husband Steve work the Conservancy's front desk every other week. She's a new master naturalist and a major crafter (ask to see her woven nature journal). Thank you, Joanne, for your close attention to nature and to the Conservancy!

10/16/2026

We broke ground on the area's largest ADA-accessible nature playspace! With completion expected in fall of 2027, the playspace will feature natural play elements, including log jumps, a boulder scramble, a water and mud play area, a nature village, sensory gardens and tunnels. An ADA-accessible pathway will connect the playspaces to the accessible picnic area, a water bottle filling station and welcome circle. The playspace has been designed by GWWO Architects to integrate existing amenities at the Conservancy, such as the heritage orchard, the native meadow and the owl, goat and chicken enclosures. Thanks so much to all the donors who are making this vision possible.

“This project aligns beautifully with the vision of our founders, longtime Howard County schoolteachers Ruth and Frances Brown, who left this property for preservation and education,” said Meg Boyd, the Conservancy’s executive director. “It is focused on the importance of nature play in childhood, which is so critical to early education and developing future environmental stewards.”
📸: Callan Beideman

10/12/2026

On Nov. 5, meet up for a relaxed evening of painting and drinks. No experience necessary! Create a painting of a natural landscape, your pet or Ranger, our barred owl. Instruction and all supplies, including alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, will be provided. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. and admission is $40. Register in advance here: https://buff.ly/5LmR0X0

10/08/2026

We love connecting our youngest students to the wonder of nature!

For this month's Member Spotlight, we're excited to feature the Howard County Conservancy's Nature Preschool!

This licensed nature preschool for children ages 3 to 5 sits within a Howard County park, surrounded by Patapsco Valley State Park. Learn more about how this program uses public land to make outdoor learning and exploration part of every child's day.

🔗 bit.ly/HowardCountyConservancyNaturePreK

10/05/2026

On September and October nights, nearly 300,000 birds are flying south over Howard County, Maryland. Birds begin to migrate about 30 minutes after sunset, sometimes up to 10,000 feet up in the air. But it helps if you point outside lights down, or better yet, turn them off, to avoid muddling the birds' migration. Cornell Lab's BirdCast uses radar to detect the birds, and using birders' spotting information, reports that the most common migrators at this time of year are Eastern peewees, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, white-eyed vireos, wood thrushes and so many warblers! Look at Cornell Lab's BirdCast Migration Dashboard for details: https://buff.ly/vwYfywO
📸: White-eyed vireo, Bonnie Ott; warbler in flight, John Metz; yellow-bellied sapsucker on tree, Guy DiRoma

10/02/2026

Last weekend was a washout, but this Saturday looks perfect for a free lunchtime jazz concert in our native plant garden. Bring a picnic, maybe some chairs or a blanket and settle in as High Caliber plays American jazz standards in the garden amphitheater. Their set list includes Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, the Gershwins, Oscar Hammerstein, Aretha Franklin and "Just the Two of Us," so don't miss it! The goldenrods and asters will bounce their heads along with you. Thanks to the support of the Columbia/Patuxent Rotary, this concert is free and open to all. But please register at our link in bio!But please register: https://buff.ly/hXHxlzj

09/30/2026

Get out the vote! Today is the last chance to cast your ballot for the fan favorite photo to be included in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2027 calendar. The Conservancy's Montjoy Barn is front and center in Stephen Talabac's barnstorming photo of the Northern lights. We'd love to be featured in the calendar, so give a thumbs-up to Stephen's photo on DNR's Facebook album by 5 p.m. tonight! Vote here: https://buff.ly/4hHfvNO

09/28/2026

It's fall, but the Conservancy's gardens are full of plants that don't stop even when summer does! Native plants are beautiful, but they're also the perfect food and habitat for native wildlife. These gardens bloom all the way until the frost, so catch the last flowers of the season before they're gone. The native plant gardens are open sunrise to sunset, every day of the year. Learn more about the varieties of plants in the John L. Clark Native Plant Garden: https://buff.ly/EPOJOhU

09/26/2026

The food was tempting, the w**e was chilled, the b**r was zesty, the garden was glowing and the weather mostly cooperated on Sept. 17 for W**e in the Garden, B**r in the Barn. More than 500 people gathered to support the Conservancy's environmental education programming and browse the silent auction offerings. Thank you to all who donated, whether it was giving time as a volunteer or a caterer preparing tasty bites, a liquor store giving a case of bubbly or a local business offering an auction item. Sponsors helped fund the evening, including: Garden Sponsor: AT&T Tree Sponsors: Center for Vein Restoration / Compass / COPT Defense Properties / Frinky Fund / Gula Tech Adventures / Howard Hughes Communities / Ken and Elizabeth Lundeen / McCormick Spice / Visionist, Inc. / Yolanda and Frank Bruno

📸: Ken Ackman, Janice Winter and Mark Winter