Seniors in the Global Studies Program at Poolesville High School, Stacie Payne, left, and Jackie Hancock, talk about the value of the Agricultural Reserve from their perspective.

With the sound of a rooster crowing over the hill and the sight of high rises across the river, Agricultural Reserve enthusiasts had the perfect backdrop Monday as they advocated a more inclusive but still protected upcounty.

From a hilltop at a Poolesville animal sanctuary, farmer Bob Raver of Dickerson said he was very pleased with his side of the Potomac River. "I feel like one of the most blessed people on this planet," he said.

County Council president Tom Perez also drew attention to the view. "This is a wonderfully appropriate backdrop for what we're doing," Perez said, pointing the skyline of neighboring Loudoun County where farmland has given way to dense development.

"If we want to emulate Loudoun County, build the Techway," he said, referring to a proposed bridge across the Potomac connecting northern Montgomery and Loudon counties.

A small gathering of activists, politicians and residents braved windy weather to attend Celebrate Rural Montgomery's kick-off for the 25th anniversary of the Agricultural Reserve. The group is launching renewed efforts to raise awareness of the benefits of investing in the reserve.

The theme sounded by most speakers was the need to educate all county residents about the reserve and invite them to make use of the 90,000 acres set aside as farmland in 1980.

Poolesville High School student Stacie Payne said she had picked pumpkins at Homestead Farm and hiked the C&O Canal in ignorance until she began work on a senior project on the reserve. "I didn't know anything about the Agricultural Reserve, let alone that I lived in it," Payne said. "That's pretty typical for kids our age."

Marney Bruce of Bethesda said downcounty residents should be encouraged to support farmers by visiting farmers markets. Such a practice, she said, was good for body and spirit.

"It connects us city folk to the seasons because eating locally is eating seasonally," she added.

Raver said farmers needed to be included in conservation discussions. "Keep us in mind," he said. "We're kind of a cantankerous hard group to work with, I'll say that up front, but by God our hearts are in the right place."

And County Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said teaching the value of the reserve to potential homebuyers and others who see it as open space available for development will be the challenge of the future.

"Quite honestly, the last 25 years was probably the easy part," he said.

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