The Lake Roland Nature Council is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the stewardship of Lake Roland, a 503-acre nature park, as a public space for passive recreation and educational programs. The Lake Roland Nature Council works in partnership, as the only approved nature council for Lake Roland, with the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks to maintain, preserve and protect the natural environment of the park as well as to maintain, preserve and protect the historic structures, trails and roads in Lake Roland. The responsibilities of the Lake Roland Nature Council regarding the park are within the physical boundaries of Lake Roland. Matters affecting the park that are outside the physical boundaries of the park fall within the purview of their partner, the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. To support these initiatives and activities within Lake Roland, the Lake Roland Nature Council actively fund raises on behalf of the park for infrastructure projects, restoration projects and equipment that supports these efforts.

The Lake Roland Nature Council has met with Vanguard and other professionals within the Bluestem development team in order to provide feedback on development plans and relay concerns of the council and the community at large. These meetings have included things like scheduled tours of the boundary between the park and the proposed development as well as presentations made by the development team at several council meetings. Members of the council have also participated in the Community Input Meeting held on April 9th, 2018. This collaboration has led to many improvements to the plans for Bluestem, including a larger forest buffer zone, native plantings used within the landscape palette and an access point that connects the development to Lake Roland Park’s “Orange” trail, among other improvements. The Lake Roland Nature Council has also discussed water quality concerns with the Bluestem development team, and the council has collaborated with the team to find actionable solutions Bluestem can implement to help mitigate runoff and water quality concerns. The council is optimistic that the Bluestem development team will work to create a mixed-use space that strikes a balance between providing amenities to the community and protecting the integrity of the natural environment surrounding the property. To learn more about how the Bluestem team has committed to an environmentally-friendly design, click here.