The Midterm elections are right around the corner and very important this year!  Make a plan.  Be sure you know what to do and when to do it so that your voice will be heard.

How to vote:

• In-person at your assigned polling place on election day November 3rd, 7am-8pm.
• In-person at one of your county's designated early voting locations October 22-October 29, 7am-8pm.
• By mail-in ballot returned by mail or put in an election drop box on or before election day, November 3.  To receive your mail-in ballot by mail you must request a mail-in ballot by Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

You can find out about your polling place and voting districts using the Maryland Board of Elections voter lookup tool.

For more information about voting in Maryland, visit the Maryland Board of Elections FAQs page.

Visit our Issues page for the Sierra Club Catoctin Group Green Ballot listing candidates in Frederick and Carroll Counties that we have endorsed for the election.

YOUR VOTE MATTERS!           VOTE!!

Help Decide the Future of South Mountain House

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources–Maryland Park Service, in partnership with Preservation Maryland, is exploring the future of this historic property and would like to hear you. They are holding a Community Open House on Tuesday, September 26, from 5-7pm.  For more information and to RSVP for the event, click here.

Frederick In The Streets

SCCG set up a table at the In the Streets celebration in downtown Frederick on Saturday, September 19.  We engaged with many Frederick County and surrounding area residents, educating about the Bottle Bill and other issues of concern.  It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all!

Charlotte's Quest Nature Fest

Sierra Club Catoctin Group participated in the Charlotte's Quest Nature Fest on Saturday, July 11 from 3-9pm.  This free, family-friendly event in northern Carroll County was one where families could "get dirty, get curious, and get outside!"  There were many activities for kids and presentations about nature, as well as music and a petting zoo.  A thunderstorm cut the evening short, but it was still a successful and fun event!

2025 Roundup

Last year was another busy one for the Catoctin Group.  In addition to reaching out to the community to increase engagement with our group, we spent much of our efforts on spreading the word about the Bottle Bill, which we hope to get passed in Maryland this year.

We set up tables at many Frederick and Carroll County events, such as for Environmental Symposiums, Westminster Flower and Jazz Fest, and Frederick Pride.

Our main focus in 2025 continued to be promoting passage of a Beverage Container Deposit bill.  Although it did not pass in the 2025 Legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly, it did get a hearing in committee and passed the Environment and Transportation Committee.  This year we are redoubling our efforts and will go all out to push bill across the finish line in 2026!  If you would like to help get this bill passed, please contact your municipal leaders and state legislators and let them know!  You can also reach out to us for more information or to get involved.

This fall we hosted two film screenings and discussion panels, showing the award-winning documentary "Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics."  The film proved to be eye-opening for many members of the community who attended and were not aware of the extent to which microplastics are affecting our health.

We participated in trash cleanups along the waterways and roadways to demonstrate the amount of beverage containers that never get recycled but should be.  Jurisdictions that have beverage container deposits in place see a large decrease in the amount of waste in the environment.  We need such a bill to protect our beautiful state. 

In the spring we hosted a tour of the water treatment plant in Brunswick, MD.  It was fascinating to see how our household water is processed!  

This fall saw the return of Outings for the Catoctin Group, which is very exciting!  Our first outing in a long time was a lovely walk along the C&O Canal to learn some of the history of the canal, as well as about the natural environment in the Canal National Park.  We now have two certified Outings Leaders, and hope to schedule several more outings this year.  

We hosted two social gatherings at Attaboy Beer in Frederick this year, starting with a presentation on Data Centers and Transmission Lines in January, and then in September, a presentation on Replacing Your Lawn with more environmentally-friendly options.  Both were well attended and informative!

Also this fall, some of us surveyed grocery stores in Montgomery County to provide "Before" data for Montgomery County's Plastic Bag ban, which went into effect January 1, 2026.  This data will be compared to another survey to be performed later this year, which should demonstrate how effective a good plastic bag ban is at reducing the number of single-use plastic bags in the environment.  The hope is that this data will help us implement similar ordinances to encourage everyone in Frederick and Carroll Counties (and eventually the entire state) to bring reusable bags and eliminate all Single Use Plastic Bags.  

We also participate in Lobby Night every year in February, which gives us a chance to present the Sierra Club priority bills to our state legislators.  We would always love to have more people participating in that, so get in touch if you are interested in helping promote environmental legislation.

For 2026 we have scheduled several outreach events, and will be adding more outside activities and social outings. See our Calendar of planned activities, and check back for updates. We’d love to have you join us!