Frederick County is a rapidly growing county tucked into the northwestern corner of the state. Its scenic rural areas and historic battlefields make land conservation a crucial priority.

Massive Quarry Expansion Proposed
Cedar Creek, National Battlefield Park & Middletown to Feel Impacts


Civil War Reenactors with the Chemstone Quarry looming

O-N Minerals filed an application in February to rezone 639 acres on Cedar Creek, adjacent to the Cedar Creek Battlefield National Park and Middletown, from general agricultural uses to extractive manufacturing. The proposed rezoning would nearly triple the existing limestone mining operation and permit other industrial uses, with serious inpacts on air, water, traffic and quality of life. The Frederick County Planning Commission on June 7 voted against the mine expansion and has forwarded the application to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation that it be denied.

Related News Articles

Frederick County Sentinel - Quarry Expansion Issue

Learn More from Preserve Frederick

Preserve Frederick Citizens Group Forms
A group of Frederick County residents organized around the Middletown mining rezoning has formed to address a host of land use and transportation issues in the county. The Preserve Frederick group sees its mission as “promoting compatible development that strengthens our communities, protects our natural and historic resources and preserves our rural character.” Contact them at preservefrederick@yahoo.com

Conservation in the Cedar Creek Watershed
The Potomac Conservancy, a partner group of the Shenandoah Valley Network, provides conservation options to residents of the Potomac basin. In recent months, several landowners in the Cedar Creek Watershed have expressed interest in placing conservation easements on their property, and are working with the Conservancy on establishing them.

Battlefield Protection

There are five major Civil War battlefields in Frederick County. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation works actively in Frederick County, with half of their 2005 resources going to the Frederick/Winchester area. Since 2000, SVBF has successfully protected over 700 acres of historic lands.

Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

This new park commemorates a nationally significant Civil War landscape and antebellum plantation by sharing the story of Shenandoah Valley history from early settlement through the Civil War and beyond. It represents the first time a Historic Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been included within a park. In addition, the park is embedded within the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, a National Heritage Area.Created on December 19, 2002, the park encompasses approximately 3,500 acres across 3 counties and includes the key partner sites of Belle Grove Plantation, Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation lands and Visitor Center, Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation lands, and a developing Shenandoah County Park.

With new acquisitions by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, protected land in the park reached the 1,000 acre threshold in 2005. Together with land protected by five local and national partners, 1,040 acres are now protected in the 3,500-acre national park. For the first time, almost a third of the park is secured for future generations.

Conservation Easement Authority
In recent years, Frederick County has been experiencing rapid growth. With continued expansion, the county's farms, forests, open spaces and historic resources are shrinking, making the need to protect what remains more important than ever. In 2005, Frederick County created the Conservation Easement Authority to provide a means to assist county landowners in protecting and preserving farm and forest land, open space, scenic vistas, historic sites, water resources and environmentally sensitive lands. Conservation easements enable the county and landowners to work together to protect the valued rural character of Frederick County. Show your support for this program by contacting your Frederick County Supervisor and asking him or her to support and fund the Conservation Easement Authority.

For More Information

Preserve Frederick Page

County Website

Potomac Conservancy

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation

The Winchester Star

Email us.