Celebrate World Water Day with Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection on Saturday, March 22 at Wheaton Regional Park

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 17, 2025

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is hosting Montgomery County’s first World Water Day Celebration from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 at the Wheaton Regional Park, located at 2000 Shorefield Road in Wheaton. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in activities such as guided nature walks, a piñata exhibit and Youth Trout Fishing Day—an initiative that allows young people to fish for rainbow trout a week before the regular fishing season opens. World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day that highlights the importance of fresh water.

“This year marks the 32nd anniversary of World Water Day,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Although water covers 71 percent of the Earth, only three percent is fresh and drinkable. It is easy for us to take for granted that we have safe drinking water, but 2.2 billion people worldwide live without access to safe fresh water. Come out and learn how you can play a part in protecting our waterways to ensure safe drinking water.”

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Save Our Glaciers.” The festival will highlight the importance of protecting our waterways. According to the United Nations, as the world becomes hotter, glaciers continue to melt at an alarming rate, causing floods, droughts, landslides and rising sea levels.

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“Our Montgomery County local waterways are a primary source of drinking water,” said DEP Director Jon Monger. “We are excited to sponsor an event where different cultures and communities can come together and celebrate the importance of clean water and highlight the work DEP is doing to protect it.”

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will have its Mobile First Catch Fishing Center onsite to loan fishing equipment and provide hands-on fishing instructions. Kids ages 15 and younger can take advantage of Youth Trout Fishing Day. Wheaton Regional Park’s Pine Lake will be fully stocked with rainbow trout before the event.

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“Maryland’s cold-water hatcheries produce nearly 300,000 trout each year to meet fishing demands in our state,” said John Mullican, director of DNR’s Freshwater Fisheries and Hatcheries. “We are happy to give young anglers a head start on the fishing season. We hope it helps them develop a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and clean water.”

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Youth fishing will also be allowed on Saturday, March 22, from sunrise to sunset at the pond at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Park, located at 1120 Jackson Road in Silver Spring and in the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park in Ashton. Those locations are also being stocked with rainbow trout by Maryland’s DNR.

“We are thrilled to provide young anglers the opportunity to fish in a freshly stocked lake,” said Rachel Gauza, Montgomery Parks natural resources specialist. “If we can get children interested in fishing and water ecology now, they will be more mindful about taking care of our natural resources in the future.”

This celebration is being organized as a joint effort by Impact Silver Spring, Montgomery Parks, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the County’s Department of Health and Human Services Latino Health Initiative, the Wheaton Urban District, Defensores De La Cuenca and Montgomery Housing Partnership.

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Release ID: 25-114
Media Contact: Cindy Peña
Categories: Environment

For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46719