Reply to Is Rosedale Conservancy run by NIMBYs?

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[quote=Anonymous]Hello,
My name is Danna McCormick and I've been on the Board of Rosedale for the past 20 years, (since it's inception), and I currently serve as treasurer.
I'd like to help people understand what Rosedale is - and isn't.  It may not change your mind or opinion, but at least you'll be better informed with the facts.  I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.

A few cliff notes of history:
20 years ago the neighborhood pulled together and raised 8 million dollars to protect the three acres of green space from development in perpetuity.  One developer wanted to build 85 town homes on the property, another 125. The private school that was interested in the purchase of Rosedale would have closed off public access to the green space. (Rosedale has a long history of being the neighborhood's "village green").  There was a legal covenant in place that granted the neighbors last right of refusal, and they exercised the covenant.  Once the property was purchased, the Conservancy was formed.  At its core, Rosedale is a *land conservancy* and our mission is to protect the historically landmarked grounds.  Rosedale's history dates back to the 1730's, which you can read on our website, rosedaleconservancy.org.

As a privately funded public park, Rosedale is open - to anyone - from sunrise to sunset to enjoy this rare urban green space.  Rosedale welcomes the community for family gatherings, community picnics, Easter egg hunts, outdoor concerts, fall pumpkin patch, yoga classes, among other events.  All free, all open to the public.

It cost about $80,000 each year to keep maintain the lawns, tree care, irrigation, etc.  That's a lot of money to raise each and every year, and our model for donations is annual membership.  Anyone can become a member of Rosedale and we welcome your support.  Since inception, we have created use rules to allow our members to bring their dogs.  We require membership and dog registration so that dog owners understand and agree to abide by the use rules we've established, and for communication in the event of any altercations.  Because we're a land conservancy and our mission is to protect the grounds, we limit the number of dogs to ensure against overuse and degradation of the property.  The dog registration process has been in place for 20 years.  This year there are 300 dogs registered at Rosedale.  Yes, 300.  The first use rule is that no dog may enter Rosedale without wearing its Rosedale tag.  If your dog is not registered with Rosedale, please don't bring it Rosedale.

Here is the current - and impossible - situation we find ourselves in... every year the interest in dog registrations has increased, and in 2020 it exploded.  We put up a wait list and had to take it down as there are now 500+ dogs on the wait list.  Yes, over 500.  The pandemic puppy phenomenon is real, and the demand has been overwhelming.  Given the demand, we give priority to our members, supporters and close neighbors who can walk to Rosedale.  Likewise, we strongly discourage Rosedale as a destination place to take your dog.  Why?  Because we don't think it's fair for someone from Chevy Chase DC or Shaw or Glover Park to be able to drive their dog to use Rosedale, yet someone who lives two blocks away can't walk their dog there.  Further, we have found over the past 20 years that the people that value and support Rosedale the most, use it for so many reasons beyond dog use.  Because most dogs live 10-15 years, and most members renew each year, there just isn't a lot of turnover.

I can understand why some may think it's some sort of exclusive, snotty club because they don't have all the context.  Hopefully I've explained why the dog situation is what it is, and that our mission is not to run a dog park. 
Thank you for listening,
Danna McCormick[/quote]

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