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Matthew Henson State Park

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Matthew Henson State Park is a publicly owned greenway with recreational features that runs along Turkey Branch, a tributary of Rock Creek, in Montgomery County, Maryland.[1] The state park is managed by Montgomery County under an agreement with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.[2] It was named for Maryland native and arctic explorer Matthew Henson.[3]

Matthew Henson Trail, an 8-foot-wide (2.4 m) hard surface hiking/biking trail, was completed through the park in 2009.[3] The trail runs 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail near Aspen Hill northeast to Alderton Road near Layhill. The trail features 0.6 miles (0.97 km) of wooden boardwalk through environmentally sensitive areas.[4][5]

History

Purchased by the state in the 1950s,[6] the land was originally called the Rockville Facility, which would have connected to Montrose Parkway[5] as a spur to the proposed Washington Outer Beltway.[3] In response to residents' calls to the preserve the stream valley corridor, the state legislature designated 83 acres of the land as a state park and 117 acres as a county park in 1989.[7][8] The state land is owned by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the county land is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).[7]

Planning for the Matthew Henson Trail began in 2001. After many public meetings and environmental studies, the trail's preliminary plan was approved by the Montgomery County Planning Board in 2003.[7] Funding was put forth in 2006.[9] The Montgomery County Department of Transportation paid for the design and construction, but the M-NCPPC managed the project.[7] Opened May 9, 2009,[3] the project cost $5.7 million.[7] The trail connects with the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail at Winding Creek Local Park on Dewey Road and continues northeast to Alderton Road.[10][11] The trail includes ten-foot-wide boardwalks to protect the most sensitive areas and solar-powered emergency cellular phones.[7] The trail's design and construction were nominated for a Planning & Design Award as part of the 2010 National Trails Awards.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Montgomery County Parks". Rock Creek Conservancy. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  2. ^ "Maryland Atlas of Greenways, Water Trails, and Green Infrastructure: Montgomery County". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Brachfeld, Melissa J. (May 6, 2009). "Matthew Henson hiker-biker trail to open Saturday". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, Md. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "Matthew Henson Trail" (PDF). Montgomery County Department of Parks.
  5. ^ a b Bathen, Effie (January 8, 2003). "Matthew Henson trail construction takes political turn". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, Md. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  6. ^ Townsend, Eric J.S. (March 4, 2003). "Bike trail proposal detoured by senate delegation". Capital News Service. Maryland Newsline. Archived from the original on September 12, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Design and Construction of the Matthew Henson State Park". American Trails. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  8. ^ "Maryland Statute Section 5-1004". Laws.com. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  9. ^ "Matthew Henson Trail: No. 500400" (PDF). Montgomery County. May 18, 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "Matthew Henson Trail". Montgomery County Parks. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "Matthew Henson Trail" (PDF). M-NCPPC. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
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