See our various Issues pages for information about topics and events that may be of interest to you. 

Trash Cleanup Carroll County!

Join us for a trash pickup event on Saturday, April 11th from 10 AM to 12 PM! We will be picking up trash on Sam's Creek Road, on the west side of Rt. 27, and keeping track of the number of beverage containers picked up to use as part of support for the state Bottle Bill. Please bring your own gloves and a good pair of walking shoes or boots in case it's wet. If you have a trash grabber, that's helpful too.  We will provide neon vests and trash bags. For more details and to register, go to our Calendar below or click here.

Interested in learning about "Green" Burials?

Please join Sierra Club as we host the co-founders of Morris Orchard for a conversation about natural burial. Located on a 65-year-old chestnut orchard, Morris Orchard is the first natural burial ground in Frederick County. Natural burial practices at the Orchard are designed to minimize environmental impact, support healthy ecosystems and create a lasting legacy of stewardship for generations to come. 

When: Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 5:30pm

Where:  Attaboy Beer, 400 Sagner Ave, Frederick, MD 21701

We will meet at 5:30 PM for drinks and a short meeting followed by the talk. There is a pizza and wings food truck that night! 

Register in the Calendar below or click here.

Catoctin Group meetings

Our next SCCG ExCom meeting, which ALL are welcome to attend, will be on Tuesday, January 20 online at 7pm.  Please register below in order to receive the Zoom link.  Hope to see you there!

Click on the link in the Calendar below to sign up for any of our meetings.

Check back often for more events to come!

A Walk Through Time on the C&O Canal

Outings are back for Sierra Club Catoctin Group!  Come explore the variety of vegetation, an aqueduct, and lock house on the historic C&O canal towpath with us.

On Saturday, December 13, 9 people (and a few dogs) met at Lander Boat Ramp, Jefferson, MD, to explore the variety of vegetation, an aqueduct, and lock house on the historic C&O canal towpath.  The weather was perfect for a 3.5 mile hike along this beautiful section of the path.  We learned about some of the invasive plants causing issues in the park, as well as steps that are being taken to control them.   It was a great first outing, and we are looking forward to many more.  

Screening of "Plastic People" movie in Westminster

Sierra Club Catoctin Group held a second film screening of the documentary, "Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics," on Thursday, November 20 at the Carroll County Arts Council in Westminster.  Again, we had good attendance, with about 30 people attending.  The audience was very engaged, asking excellent questions of our panelists from McDaniel College, the Carroll County Division of Solid Waste, and Sierra Club Zero Waste Team.  As a special bonus we gave away 2 sets of reusable, plastic-free produce bags, two stainless steel straws, and several canvas shopping bags!

"Plastic People" film screening in Frederick

Sierra Club Catoctin Group held our first film screening of the documentary, "Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics," on Tuesday, November 4 at Hood College.  Partnering with the college, we had an excellent showing, with at least 50 people attending.  Following the film, we had an interesting discussion with panelists from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Frederick County Division of Energy and Environment, and Hood College's Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies, plus our own Kerri Hesley, acting as moderator as well as advocate for the Bottle Bill.  Concerned citizens asked excellent, thought-provoking questions.

Roadside Litter Cleanups in Frederick and Carroll Counties

Sierra Club Catoctin Group held two litter cleanups this November.  The first one was in Brunswick, where we picked up 11 bags of trash, of which approximately 60% was beverage containers (glass or plastic bottles or aluminum cans).  This area was near a playground, creek, and walking trail.  The second one was in Westminster, along Rt. 31 south of Uniontown Rd.  We only picked up 3 bags of trash, but we combined forces with Eco-Warriors MD, who happened to be doing a cleanup at either end of the section of road we were working on.  They filled a utility trailer with about 10 bags of trash, plus several larger items like tires and various car parts.  So altogether, we removed 13 bags of litter from the environment!  About 30% of what we removed from this location was beverage containers.  From these two cleanups, at least 8 bags of litter might not have been necessary if Maryland passes the Beverage Container Deposit and Litter Reduction Bill during the next legislative session!  So please join our fight and let your state legislators know you support this bill.

Backyard Bounty at Attaboy Beer

Kill Your Lawn!

Sierra Club Catoctin Group held our quarterly meeting on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at Attaboy Beer in Frederick.  Backyard Bounty gave a timely and informative presentation on how to “kill your lawn”.  They explained concrete and simple steps that everyone could take at home to improve biodiversity, habitat, and stormwater management by transitioning some of their lawn to native plant gardens. Attendees asked lots of excellent questions, and left with an abundance of motivation to put their new knowledge into good use at home!

4th Annual Carroll EnviroFest

Sierra Club Catoctin Group hosted a table at the 4th Annual Carroll EnviroFest at Robert Moton Center, Westminster, MD on Saturday, October 25 from 9am-Noon.  This event was a great way to see what businesses and organizations are doing for our environment in Carroll County, and learn about how you can help. There was an Insect Zoo, and some amazing environmental art designed by the talented students in Carroll County schools.  

Frederick Pride

Sierra Club Catoctin Group joined in the festivities at Frederick Pride on Saturday, June 28 along Baker Creek in Frederick.  What a festive event filled with joy and love!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by to talk about some of the many environmental issues that we are dealing with today.  We appreciate your concern for our beautiful world!

EarthFest 2025

Sierra Club Catoctin Group hosted a table at Frederick County EarthFest on Saturday, May 31, 2025.  This free annual event was held at the University of Maryland Extension Service in Frederick.  Sponsored by the Master Gardeners of Frederick County, Earthfest is a celebration of our relationship with the natural world. Despite the wind and rain, Earthfest 2025 drew a lot of visitors. Sierra club members were able to speak to a number of residents of Frederick and Carroll counties about the world around us.

Earth Month Road Cleanups in Frederick and Carroll Counties

Sierra Club Catoctin Group finally accomplished our Earth Day roadside cleanups.  We were able to pick up several bags of trash from both Carroll and Frederick Counties.  For the Carroll pickup, we actually separated the trash from bottles and cans in order to show our county legislators the potential benefit of a Bottle Bill.  Most of those beverage containers collected were too dirty to be recycled, so they ended up in the trash.  But data has shown in other states that a beverage container deposit requirement would eliminate much of this waste.  Stay tuned, this issue will likely come up again in the next legislative session.  So we'll be looking for help to get this across the finish line this time!

Westminster Flower and Jazz Festival

Sierra Club Catoctin Group hosted a table at the Westminster Flower and Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 10, 2025.  This free annual event, held in Downtown Westminster the Saturday before Mother’s Day, was blessed with beautiful weather and a great turnout.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to chat! Main Street was filled with vendors, amazing food, and flowers & herbs.