Outdoors Maryland; 5

A web and interlocking of elements so intricate yet so fragile each thread is dependent on the next perhaps not directly but one break in this delicate pattern. And the Web disintegrates and so it is in all of nature. Each corner is unique yet everything is inextricably linked. You need only look at the area around great forms to see a whole world with you on a quick glance would go unnoticed. Here is a microcosm of several habitats rich with incredible diversity and left undisturbed to continue on. Each habitat the baron's the pond. And the forest is unique but they all owe their lives to the Potomac River which flows through Great Falls.

Because the landscape here is so heavily influenced by the river. The river is controlling walk and form here and in areas that are flooded but not severely flooded either by really major storms or by ice coming through and scouring the forests are able to grow where the river comes through and so forth and so violent that it rips away the oil and rips away the trees the river creates the Barens and areas then where the rivers cut down and let grounds stay a little higher or stay a little less disturbed but still is cut down a little bit. That's where the pongs or the river is making all three systems. Each a different way. But because of the river so dynamic air ponds in the forest and the Barents Sea are almost side by side. Rodney barges keeps track of the habitats around Great Falls checking on the rare and

endangered flora like the yellow needle Ward found nowhere east of the Mississippi except in barren prairie like environments like this. Its future is so precarious that it may become a federally endangered species. And surprisingly Maryland has its own cactus the prickly pear which was used by the Indians to heal wounds. And the dry rocky Barens provide a home for the five line Diskin and this fence lizard. Well camouflaged by this lichens covered rock where the river has flooded and created pools ponds form where a painted turtle basks in the sun. Here a beaver has worked away at a tree and dam the water creating a permanent pond and a home for a family of ducks. The queen snake also depends on these pools of water. As an agile swimmer the clean

snake takes to the water in search of a meal along the banks of the pond thrives. The fault foxglove plant depended on the oak tree for its livelihood. Foxglove is said to be a him-I parasitic plant. And what that means is even though it's green and it goes for photosynthesis it can produce all its food and leaves all its energy needs. So it has to steal some of its energy needs from other plants and also foxglove literally steals energy from Oak trees its roots tap into the roots of oak trees. And that's why only five bottles around Oak trees. The numerous ponds found at Great Falls are surrounded by a lush riverine Forest which is filled with beautiful wild flowers some rare or threatened in Maryland.

The Riverine Force depends on the flooding of the Potomac and it's adjoining creeks and streams for the rich soil which provides nutrients for a host of unusual plants and wildlife. The park all grows in abundance along the banks of the Potomac and it in turn gives life to the zebra's swallowtail. The swallowtail will only lay its eggs on the leaves of the Partho. So if this plant disappears so will the butterfly. Clematis is another rare vine which thrives in Great Falls along the edges of the forest near the Barens. This showy orange flower is the butterfly weed its nectar feeds butterflies and its roots supply us with medicinal properties which aid in the treatment of asthma. And this rare passionflower has been found to lower blood pressure. All of these habitats contain unique species inextricably linked to each other and

to us. If we don't take note this rich diversity may slowly disappear. The Virginia fault's Graham well may vanish before we know its role in the intricate with biological diversity diversity of plants and animals around us as the source of mankind of our foods as a source to us of most of our medicines either directly or through synthetics that were originally discovered as natural chemicals in plants and animals. A source of Miniver textiles a source of spiritual enrichment in our lives. No plant and no animal lives and the pendant every plant and animal and other plants animals either directly or indirectly provide food shelter and nutrients and with future generations as well. And if you start removing one piece and then another little piece like taking the strands the threads out of old spiderwebs

a full complete spider web is able to take a lot and can whole prey a strong. You start taking those little strands apart. The Web starts to become weak and fall apart and will no longer hold together as a. Each thread helps to build the beautiful diversity we see around us. We enjoy the pristine environment around great falls with places like these need our protection to ensure the survival of this delicate. When. The footage is dramatic the assignment dangerous and the client National Geographic looks beautiful perfectly designed creditors.

The culmination of 400 years of. A typical day's work for underwater filmmaker Nick Calio. You've got to have a driving force something to really drive you to want to do this kind of work not a thrill seeker. I just like the challenge of the environment in this case the underwater world gives to me physically it's I guess it's sort of like a high. I used to be a marathon runner when I was in college and I guess it's a somewhat similar kind of high you know all those chemical things that happen everybody is sort of in that. You know sort of a you're for sensation. Ocean City Maryland grunt work time for Nick Culley Amish and associates hacking a charter boat with half a ton of diving and camera equipment. The destination is the marine electric. An offshore shipwreck lying 125

feet below the surface. Images recorded today on Hi 8 video will be used in a program edited by Nick's partner Rita Berger. By putting the coordinates for marine life for thirty one point two miles. OK. Should be there in about two hours 45 minutes. Captain John Kizer a shipwreck expert will guide the trip in his boat. Thunder Horse just radioed another boat out there and they said that they're calling for four to six foot seas on their own two feet so we can get out there and get back where that happens to better. All right. The Marine lecture to me is one of the most fascinating dives on the East Coast it's sunk in February of 1983 a winter storm. One of my dreams is wrecked when I first started was to dive right right after it goes down and record the changes. That. Were. Micro-second down.

My. Bracket. And. That red. Line. Underwater photography is a team event. We're just going to swim back and forth in this in this area here with with movie lights. Keep in mind so sort of have a backlit effect for second camera Rick O'Donnell and lighting assistant Alan Edmond. It will be their first look at the Marine electric. I'm pretty serious about the work and that's why I like to keep it. There are too many things that can go wrong and I'd rather keep everybody sharp on the edge. In my experience 15 years now underwater with doing this kind of work with cameras I found that that's it's a lot of different factors it's not just being a good photographer.

You got to be a good diver for a lot of situations you got to be a great diver. I've had more than one close call. The ship was 600 five foot tall carrying vessel. The survivors said a. Couple of guys never made it out of that. So each time I go by there I think that it gets sort of an eerie sensation. When you go on. The side. Of the ocean is just a desert and.

Ship rocks or coral formations or rocks. It's very difficult for the free floating organisms to attach to anything. So they've got a rock out here sort of like a you know a little marine life condominium right off Ocean City Maryland. There are only a handful of professional underwater filmmakers and Nick Pollyanna's says one of the best. His passion for the sea is rooted in his Greek heritage. A graduate of the University of Maryland. He formed his own company in 1977. Since then he has traveled the world. Capturing images of sunken treasure. And the spectacle of marine life. I try to. Get. Into the personality of the animal a little bit particularly with the marine mammals these whales. If you look closely there early. You can see you can sense the intelligence of can spend some time

with them. You know they all seem to have a personality and I try to when I'm down in a reef or on a shipwreck. I try to just take enough time to get into that and hopefully to convey that on the image. No image from the sea is more popular or harder to get than footage of sharks. Mark Sampson captain of the fish finder out of Ocean City is a veteran shark fisherman. But today is unusual. His tackle box of tricks including bait suspended from a kite will be used to lure fish and next camera. Only one line contains a a backup in case the Sharks don't cooperate. A custom built shark cage is used as an underwater observation post and a refuge should the Sharks turn aggressive. Right.

Now we need some sharks. Back there as. Well. All right. Well we're. Maybe a hammer. You got it. He just took the kite. After hours of waiting a hammerhead shark has finally taken the hooked bait. He will be kept on only long enough to be filmed. This is very dangerous to be in the water. I've only done this three times. Even though the sharks are small a big danger getting wrapped around have monofilament then what do you do with a proper comma. Get your knife out quickly or hope that your body is thinking along the same lines

so they can cut that line sharp or even that size a powerful swimmer could take it all over. Straight to the bottom you can rupture your ears in a matter of three seconds. Today the sharks were camera shy in the cage not needed but there will be other opportunities for Nick out of work it keeps me busy year around here primarily documentary films. It gives me the opportunity to be creative out in the field. None of these jobs are ever the same. It's not it's not all. Sunrise on Smith Island is not the time for long winded philosophical conversations about nature. Smith Islanders are most likely at work.

Are on their way to work. Think about why they choose to plunge in at such an early hour though and you'll realize that the forces of nature influence their decisions. It is much the same for the numerous water birds who use Smith Island as a stomping over a nesting site. Their activities might appear random and nonsensical until you realize that the choices they make are harmoniously balanced with nature and have guaranteed survival for endless generations of their kind. One pattern that has fascinated ornithologists for decades is that demonstrated by colonial water birds nest in dense colonies or groups on isolated terrain colonies can range in number from as low as five breeding pairs to as many as 2000 breeding pairs. The great blue heron sharing its nesting space with other Herron's ibises Carmer rents and pelicans in tall trees near water is a stately yet typical colonial waterbed. Great

blues live in congested communities that often contain trees with more than one nest bird droppings whitewash the branches and ground below the nests. After a mate has selected the male gathers sticks and brings them to the female who arranges them into a nest which often is lodged in the crotch of a tall tree some over one hundred thirty feet above ground new nests or small flat flimsy refurbished ones bulky. The female lays between three and five pale green each blue things. But both parents take turns incubating and feeding the young. I was trying to build up a known age population that we have banded that way I be able to follow an individual bird without having to recapture it you know year after year. Or just wait until it's found dead which is what usually happens when you just put a metal band on it

with these bands it should be last as long as the bird is alive. We'll give a complete life history. Data from 3 am Charlie ready by the way. I would like to put in a plug. I great hand as being the state that. We all know the fault of. Real estate. At first people talk about the Baltimore Orioles as a baseball team and they've seen plenty of Orioles on the baseball based baseball field but not all. Not in the trades. Everybody can see it has said I would put in a plug. I agree with you 100 percent Bill. I've lived in Maryland 51 years and I've never seen a ball

Morio but I see grey blue Varennes everyday. Like we better get in touch with Governor Schaffer about it. OK here's the nice part. There were either just after I got up there. In fact I point out for good. Wish I had more like that. They are really good size if you they're just like the warm weather. Will be starting a bit earlier than I normally do the first year we and we buy 6 and the birds were pretty good so they got to ride around on top of the trees and roll. Niles had trouble getting to get home. Well the next year they wanted to come in. It will take I'm twenty six. Tonight I've already got to come to 7:32 25th of May. Next time I saw they call me Mr bright blue. So I think I think he was trying to test my authority over.

On a small unnamed island at one Harbor entry to your the largest town on Smith Island among dense low lying bushes over 2000 pairs of colonial waterboards including little blue herons tri colored Louisiana Herron's and glossy Ibis nest inharmonious and unexpectedly close conditions. Glossy ibis. The first of these species to breed starts laying eggs in late April. From then until late May the rest of these colonial masters follow suit until the end within the nesting site is filled with cacophonous and varied. The Ibis nest a fairly large and substantial structure of sticks and dried plant material with a well-kept well like egg cavity is built in about two days by both parents. Materail is added to the nest until the young leaves one

brood for season is produced from two to four pale blue eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 21 days after the clutch is complete. The glossy Ibis probably crossed the Atlantic from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century dispersing northward into the United States by way of the Caribbean region. In recent years the Ibis has expanded its range considerably and is now a common breeder on or near the coast from Maine to Florida. It has even moved inland to the Great Lakes via Texas. Another Nestor on this tiny island is the Louisiana or tri colored Heron dubbed the lady of the waters by Audubon the tricolor constructs a low flat round or elliptical nest of sticks and twigs from two to 12 feet above the ground with an egg cavity sparingly lined with grasses and weed. The little blue heron commonly

found in large mixed colonies of herons and grad's and called the levee Walker in Louisiana is a skilled Fisher preferring crustaceans fungus and insects found on the borders of streams lakes and swamps. The mail gathers material and the female builds a frail nest of twigs and sticks from 16 to 20 inches in diameter. Set low in a bush over a period of three to five days. Afterward the female lays between three and five eggs. Incubation takes 22 to 23 days starting after the laying of the second. A. Few predators disturb the comforting chatter of many species of birds in this isolated nesting site. A crowd creates safety for adults eggs and their chicks.

When the workday is complete and the sun approaches the horizon silent reverie overcomes the land and a natural moment of contemplation emerges. Watching some of the six or seven thousand colonial water birds in the Smith Island area feeding in the shallows. The distinct impression can grow within us that these birds are in harmony with nature unlike ourselves. Noticing this separation can make us yearn to reconnect with the harmonious forces of nature. That have nurtured the habits of along the water birds. Nestled in the foothills of the mountains near Frederick lies Lily ponds. Here is a rather unique type of horticulture. The product is known worldwide. Dewater gardening enthusiasts but in Maryland this place is kept relatively secret.

It's a place of incredible beauty where earth and water mix to create an environment perfectly suited to the Water Lily. 90 years old Ernest page knows these onze well. He has cultivated lilies and tended the fish for over 60 years. He remembers how the place was named for the famous Operastar. Well it was very spring fisheries when I came here because the pitch was real burdens. But then later on I wanted the post office stablished. LOL LOL

it on will call it later on and then do mail in all. Well it all picked up our staff then came here to see Pauline. And since then she's always in until the last she met with Upon page enjoys the changes he sees every day. The fish don't change and they grow a little harder. Water laws. Always hear are different on today's flour is better than Nestor's flour. That's one thing but water will continue to bloom over 100 varieties of water lilies and Lotus are grown. Some are hardy like the James Brighton and Gladstone others are tropical

like the Margaret Mary. This beauty was discovered in South America by the owner of Lily ponds. Charles Thomas and named for his eldest daughter many water lilies are developed in far away countries. Their serene beauty and vibrant colour on the reflective waters have inspired many including Monet who spent years perfecting his Water-Lily series the lily than the Monet pond are Fabula which are developed by light tour Marley back in France many decades ago he was a contemporary of Monet. And of course if Water-Lily were used by Monet inspired his paintings which we enjoy and the magical Ludus revered by the Buddhists for its mystical qualities the Lotus emerges from the muddy floor grows through the water and up several feet into the air. Uniting the elements of the universe

to produce a pure fragrant blossom. The Koi fish complete a Water-Lily garden creating an ecological balance in the pond. The tranquil beauty of the exotic Japanese fish among the ever changing reflections of the surface create a piece a piece which people are seeking. A media frenzy of a world in constant motion. The sea for centuries it has captivated those who have ventured into these high

waters. With its enchanting beauty and sheer vastness. It has challenged fishermen with its rough waters an unpredictable way. With its magnetic force. It draws avid anglers out even in the blackness of night. Long before dawn. Joe Jack Amasai the captain all solitare and his mates prepare for a day of fishing on the high seas in a matter of minutes. The solitare is heading out casting liquid light reflections on the still waters of the ocean city and. The sense of total quiet and oneness with the sea is one part of the lure of ocean fishing. The anglers catch some sleep as the solitare makes its way out. With Joe piloting. The Baltimore cab and at 62 miles east of here at the water will be fish and it will be between like 50 bottoms with just 300 feet 250 fathoms. Whatsis. Fourteen hundred feet.

If you could picture the Grand Canyon or say how it has been steep drop offs. It's flooded with water while the ocean is the same thing along the continental shelf and as big the edges likes to congregate along the edges because the tide comes off and the big fish lay off the sides of it canyon and they collect. They collect the fish as they come off. They are the bait fish as the cards push them off the edge of the canyon. Just after sunrise the solitare reaches the Baltimore Canyon. Here the waters are crystal blue and word has it the whites are biting. The mates read the lines with mullets and ballyhoo after the lines are set. The boat troll is moving slowly through the water. Now the anglers Paddy Fenwick and her friend Suzanne wait patiently for a tug on the line. Then the excitement begins. His son Sean takes the first raw that hooks a white marlin.

Ball. Back. It's. Go. After several minutes of battling the big one with strength and finesse the fish manages to escape. Patty explains what happened. Right. Are. You already gone back here. Soon after another time this time Patti will try to maneuver the line so the marlin can be tagged. The excitement of a fish on the line is just another lure of ocean fishing. After a 10 minute struggle with a 70 pounder the Marlin is close enough to tag.

The mate then grabs the fish by the build to release the hook and fried fish. Anglers aboard the solitare always release their fish to help improve the Marlan population of Ocean City. White marlin aren't the only fish to have at the Baltimore County tuna Wahoo and Dulfer can also be fished from these blue waters just as Marlin aren't the only fish in the sea. There are many anglers with different styles of fishing. Dave Fortner and his fellow anglers are fishing for tuna in the same canyon where Patty hook tomorrow instead of trolling. They are Chungking to hook their catch. You find tuna and Marlin in the same waters but not specifically in the same area all the time. You can find a concentration of 10 or where you won't find any Marlan but your average hook up ratio 110 are very nominal compared to Chungking because you're setting up a basic bait trail when you tank for 10 and then your to follow the Bay Trail with the current the water currents will

carry the bait and the fish will follow the trail right to your boat while chunking the Sunbird drifts with the current totally at the whim of the wind and water. Within minutes Dave looks at tuna and the tug of war begins. Unlike Marlin tuna tend to stay well below water. So reeling one in is like pulling a rock up from the depths of the sea. After a day of fishing the Sunbird heads into the sunset with five catches with a day that begins well before the sun is up and ends just as it is setting. One wonders what it is that keeps these anglers coming back. The challenge. You have much more of a challenge out in the ocean. It's your own little world out there. You get out there when you go out 60 to 70 miles

in a day and sometimes you don't see anybody else and that's your own little piece of mind. I just thought one life I my life. I like catching something not putting it and letting it go. I'm on top form. And with the mystical lure of the sea anglers like Patty and Dave are likely to keep returning as long as the fish are biting. Throughout the lush wetlands of Maryland's Eastern Shore. There is a new day dawning for a recent newcomer that dusky Canada goose. While one of Alaska's native sons. Recent years have not been kind to the dusky. Disastrous events both natural and manmade have decimated most of the last natural breeding grounds leaving

them with a tenuous and uncertain future. The delicate Huskies will not face the future alone. However friends such as Ben rende of the wildfowl trust of North America guide a small but ferociously dedicated group of Marylanders in their efforts to ensure that the future will bring forth a new dusky Dawn enduring flight after flight their manmade migration takes them well over five thousand miles. As they slowly move closer to their new Maryland home. Does the candidate whose population has been declining drastically since 1960 and currently fewer than 12000 birds remain in the wild. At the root of their recent demise is the catastrophic alteration of the wetland habitat in the Congo River delta of Alaska. This habitat which for thousands of years has provided the environment

responsible for the evolution of the dusky has been irreparably altered. The dusky Canada goose is one of 11 subspecies of Canada geese and differs from the interior and Atlantic subspecies which winter here in the Chesapeake Bay region by their comparatively high shortbus. Over a dark brown color and smaller size. Like other Canada geese. They have long black necks and white face patches. Both males and females look alike and weigh about seven and a half pounds when they reach two years of age. Thus these began forming lifelong pair bonds. At three they reached maturity and established nesting territories in the tidal wetlands. By late spring. The female has produced four to six eggs which incubates for 26 to 28 days. Once they hatched the goslings grew up quickly these are grazers and throughout the summer they feed on a variety of aquatic plants abundant in their wetland habitat. While biologists continue to address the problems these birds face in the wild. The wildfowl trust in North America will pursue its goal of establishing a genetically diverse captive population of dusty Canada

geese which in an appropriate time may provide the seeds for the re-establishment of the species in the wild. The trust collection represents most of the dusky Canada geese currently held in captivity and through the efforts of biologists naver culturists we hope to collect valuable information which will improve our knowledge of the species breeding requirements and the management of its genetic diversity. Often man chooses to intercede in the survival of a species after it is too late. In this case the foresight of a few wildlife managers Ava culturists and the wildfowl trust of North America may make a difference for the dusky Canada goose so that some day there will be a new dusky dawn. Her name is Jade. She is among the most majestic sailing vessels to grace the miles of river. Near St. Michael's. She has another name

long log. A name that defies her state and appearance but hints at a heritage that reaches back to the first several months on the Chesapeake. It began with Native Americans who lived on the waters of the Chesapeake in what is now Maryland and Virginia. The Indians made their canoes of a single log which was hollowed out with burning coal or hot stones called dug out canoes. These boats were quickly adopted by settlers who over time modified the designs by using European shipbuilding techniques. Settlers built their canoes of several logs pinned together and they powered the hybrid craft by adding sails. You probably won't believe me when I tell you that this boat's made out of logs but it is. This boat is comprised of five yellow pine logs. It's called a Chesapeake Bay log canoe. It's called the Chesapeake Bay long canoe because they're indigenous to the bay and we find this particular type of a log canoe. Nowhere else in the world when the

Europeans first came to the bay they needed a way to get around. And what with all the large trees the fabrication of a boat like this was a practical thing. They cut down a tree and make a boat. And until recent times they have been been useful to the farmers and people who lived on the bay for local transportation for carrying their farm products around. And lately we just raised this boat was built as a racing boat. Her name is spirit of white town. She's 27 feet long made of five logs all put together with wood. There's only about 18 of them left sailing on the bay. Some of those boats are 100 years old or more. We know that documented a hundred years or more. You know who built them and we know where they were built and we know who owned them since. Bill Hamlin sails the oldest log canoe in the fleet. Her name is Sandy Sandy's about 135 year old log canoe that I acquired in 1955 from Captain Beauly

tire at Fishing Creek near Thomas Point light. We traced her back 50 years before that to. Road River area and the male beach and she was known as the store Bilboa because the people that used to honor in those days would run up a store bill. And then the store owner would take her back for the store bill. And then of course he'd sell it to somebody else to get his money out of it. So there are few practical uses for a log in to the art of building one is very much alive. Sidney Dixon who felt the yellow pines for his spirit of white town in 1971 was the first to undertake construction of a log the new since the 1940s. Now he's working on a second dinner called a Brogan. It's a wider and longer log in New more like the sailing work boats of a century or more ago in designing and building his canoe. Dixon employs methods that the new builders in Maryland have used for generations.

Now the Brogan is a boat maybe 40 feet long. And as I dreamed I came up with something in my mind's eye that I thought would look look like this. This isn't the first physical expression of the boat I made two other three other models first but I settled on this general design here. I've drawn the logs in on a bottom in India to see where they would exactly fall. I decided the breadth of a boat would be 13 feet. So if my logs were 12 by 12 that calls for 13 of them after having made this model and settled on the form of it I made a pattern model or a builder's model and you'll say it's only half the boat because we presumed we're smart enough to make the other half like this one. Now instead of drawing the logs in here we've got them in separate pieces. So we take it apart like this. We make each part one at a time

and then put it together. The scale of this model is three quarters of an inch to the foot so that a sixteenth of an inch on this model equals an inch on the real boat. This magic tool is the ads My favorite tool. So much fun to use an antique tool. This tool is probably 100 years old or more it's been in service for 90 years that I know of because I know the men that owned it before I did the louvers from Baltimore I have records of their work. And it's a chisel really set crosswise to the handle with a little bit of weight. You don't swing it like an axe if you let it fall. Racing season typically begins on the Fourth of July weekend in St. Michael's. In the weeks leading up to the first race. There's more activity in the backyards along the river than there is on Main Street. Preparation is a necessity a ritual and a tradition.

The mahogany deck and every every year we like to get on careful coats of varnish really for protection of the wood. Keep water out and the sun off the exposed building 1931. My great uncle John B. Harrison I've been saying it for about eight years. The other two boats up there on board and blossom. Are built by my great great grandfather said Covington. My great grandfather whose name was Sidney Covington was a canoe builder and of many talents at Tillmans island and he built all canoes and 18:00 it build a series of so-called Island Beaver boats on bird Island blossom Bell Island beauty Island bride. We have bird blossom but the other three are disappeared. So both boats had to have his bars and sails and a fair amount of work as well. We have done a great deal to the halls particularly over the years particularly by way of preservation. We use a great deal

of modern materials. Polyester is epoxies fiberglass carbon fibers anything that will help strengthen and hold the boats together. They're subject to such enormous strains with springboards. Prying one way and fast flying the other. It's really miraculous that the hulls hold together as well as they do the miles River Yacht Club is the center for log canoe racing and events are sanctioned by the Chesapeake Bay logs sailing the new association their high performance boat. They really move very rapidly and it takes a well-coordinated and skilled crew to get the best out of them. If you don't get the best out of them they capsize and you pay the penalty of having to take the boat apart in the water frequently fighting sea nettles as you go. That's a sporting enterprise. And. For displacement halls they go very very rapidly. And not much of the thrill of sailing. Of course. Competition is sometimes serious when the day is done and the masts come down for the night.

The crew of a second or third place boat can often be seen in conference trying to decide how to win the next time. But all the long canoe racers celebrate together here first place Mark. In his book Chesapeake Bay log canoes maritime historian M.V. Brewington predicted the log goodnews demise. They whose knowing eyes and skill had brought the canoe to the height of its perfection are fast going the road the sport of racing seems doomed. The year was 1937. M-B growing gin would be glad to know that he was wrong. When you see it from the air this narrow strip of sand hugging the Eastern Shore doesn't look like

much but assett big island is a member of Marilyns barrier island a very special sort of habitat and home to a fascinating array of plants and wildlife. The best way to explore Assif the Guyland is with a trail map in your hand and a park ranger by your side. Our first stop the desert by see the doom trail. When you walk the inner dunes on acetate there are some basic things. And one of the first things the primary doing which is immediately behind the beach. The Dune offers some protection for plants that grow back behind it. The primary dune is the hotspot on the island in Summerson. Temperatures often soar above 120 degrees. There are some plants that are very characteristic of the Ennerdale zone on a

barrier island like acetate one of them is Heather. It's a very low growing almost herb like shrub like plant. Another area is having grass which grows and clumps. The third one is American beech grass which characteristically has found on the tops of dunes. These plants have farmed different adaptations that allow them to grow hair. You know you're in the danger zone when you find these plants. Hoofprints in the sand indicate wild ponies come here to feed. Legend says the ponies were shipwrecked here or left by pirates who once terrorized the East Coast. A new set of tracks led us down the trail to a fox constantly taking its early morning stroll. The Foxton is located in the area. Among the bushes and Noro trees growing here. There are several Woody plants that are characteristic of the inner dens that own the most

important of these is bayberry bayberry can be identified by its waxy leaves. This is one form of protection that it has against the harsh conditions that are out here. It produces a very late in the summer and early fall that's covered in white with white and that's another form of protection to the berry. There are other trees and shrubs out here as well. The Wild Cherry is one the crab apple is another. Anybody who walks the dunes trail at the big island will walk along Baltimore Boulevard. There actually was an asphalt road put down here in the late 1950s by a developer who owned all the Maryland band of acetate Guyland. We very nearly became a second ocean city when nature intervened and fortunately said no in the form of a very large storm in 1962 it wiped out a lot of the development that was here and obviously did some damage to the road and caused conservationists to take a

new look at athletic Island. It's safe to say that well this national seashore is existence to a storm. From the beach and dunes we pass through the thicket and into the heart of Asadi Island. We're gonna go and ask the tigs forest zone now. If you go into it in summer you need to be aware of mosquitoes and ticks and prepare for them a good time to come in the fall or the spring. It's quiet here. In the summer. The forest offers welcome relief from the blazing sun and strong ocean winds. During the storm. Deer ponies and Sica elk come into the forest for refuge. The tree tops. But the forest floor is quiet and reassuring. Acetates forest is his own is mostly loblolly finds but occasionally you'll see scattered red oak and red maples like this

one. What's interesting about the red maples is that they're very sensitive to salt and the air. And so they'll never grow any higher than the lollies that are providing them protection from the wind coming off of let's say. Near the entrance through our forest zone trail is this very old loblolly pine that's about 50 years old. Notice how twisted it is. It used to bear the brunt and the ocean winds and that's what made it so twisted. Well since that time humans have built a very large primary dune and that has allowed younger pine trees to grow very tall and straight that big primary Ben is doing now what the old pioneers used to do decades ago. The ponies love to feed here. We thought they looked surprisingly well-fed for wild ponies but it turns out that isn't necessarily the case. They're rounded bellies are due to the high salt

content in their diet to offset this. The ponies need a lot of fresh water. For this reason. Pools of rainwater are very important don't ask if the. Fresh water flows on the Barrier Islands. Almost like a. Land. Outcrops. And the fourth zone here with say a pond and it is fresh water. What's interesting about this pond is that it was formed during the 1960s on a house a beach house actually was warsh to this spot and ocean water rushed around it and scoured out this hole. And the pond has been here ever since. The value of many Bharath is that we allow dead trees to remain standing. That's because they provide nesting habitats for not only birds but a lot of mammals too. As far as this home there are a lot of birds. The marsh is one of the most productive areas on the island

wetlands once thought of as a wastelands are now being appreciated for the part they play in the health of the oceans. The Saltmarsh vistas are impressive the calm swaying of the marsh grasses doesn't hint at the Furius biotic activity that makes salt marshes the earth's most productive natural cropland. A stand of corde grass produces more nutrient material and stored energy than any other crop. With the exception of sugar cane grown in the tropics. Along the marsh trail you may find a variety of birds one of them with great regret who comes into these areas to feed. They do nest on an island located near here and you may see a variety of other egrets and herons as well. In addition though when the migration starting to fall you'll begin to see waterfowl a variety of ducks like the. Canvasback. If we're lucky and mallards and black ducks and. Geese as well. Pelicans also nest nearby and are frequent visitors to ask Tiegs

Marsh. This area is thought to be the northernmost point for nesting pelicans in the US. Black skimmers are also a common sight. Skipping along the surface looking for dinner is the areas that looked like small ponds are actually salt pans here. Water has become traps when the tides come in and that water is not able to escape. What's happening in some of these areas is that the grass is getting broken down and that odor that you smell. It's that purple bacteria working on that grass and other organic matter and it smells like rotten eggs but it's a very productive thing that's going on around the marsh. We'll take you to the edge of the bay the salt marsh and the bay are connected they're vital to anything. From a bird's eye view. Teague is beach and surf giving and taking with each coming time. On foot. We discover the plants and animals that make this barrier island more than a sliver of sand bowing to the whims of the wind.

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