Outdoors Maryland; 6

Lord. See. Whoa. The rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. These are life giving arteries providing.

Even. For spawning fish. And spraying as they have for hundreds of years. The Indians named these ranchers. Patapsco. A toxin. And suss what happened. A biological miracle brings thousands of shad herring and striped bass from the Atlantic up the Chesapeake to the river of their birth. There they spawn providing future generations. But human progress in the form of dams and culverts is blocking these miraculous migrations. Because of overfishing and pollution and barriers. Most members they're not in this first family including the herring the shad are in a cycle of decline. This has been the case for a profit for the

last 25 or 30 years. We're attempting to rebuild those populations so that we can have a viable fisheries and preserve the species. One major obstacle has been the kind of lingo down on the sus one hand. But this spring Philadelphia Electric dedicated a new larger lift to supplement the old lift built in 1972 to move the fish over the day. The governor was on hand to see how the lift operate. Snow would be. Very nice. Meaning. By. That's what you want you want to like. Wilander something. That's what he has to say that they don't get it. You. Just coming along. And they know that about. Him they're going to pass the test. That's how you protect the patient and think how I wonder how he got out of our door do that end up having all these things not coming from the ocean. They have sampled close to 3000 miles so they want to look for very nice. Cars. Going good they want to go as far as they can. Dilip Mather manages the fish list and explains how it works.

The Hopper has a bottom latch that gets closed. And the. Hopper gets lifted via the cables and all the fish. That are lifted. Are put into a sorting tank on shore where the biologist would go into the tank. And remove all the American shed. From the tank and the face that are not. Required for transport they are released back into the air. The targeted species American shad and Perry are loaded on trucks to be transported upstream to Pennsylvania and beyond three more dams which blocked their spawning grounds. Eventually it is hoped that lifts will be installed at these dams as well. So the handling the fish will be on necessary. There are 36 miles of new fish habitats. We look ahead we're going to do some things the three dams upriver that have to be have to work on eventually get those. So they'll know the fish will be able to be lifted up on up get lifted up on up and then finally get up there and spawn those whatever just love to do when they get up there.

The lifts and efforts to restore the river seem to be working. We are running ahead of last year. We have so far collected or 14000 Chad compared to last year the whole season the collected about fifteen thousand nine hundred sixty four. So we still have another four five weeks so he. Left a season left. So we expect to maybe we might get about 25 30000 chap this year. No one appreciates these efforts more than fishing guide Earle action film even with a moratorium on American shad and rock fish. Earl loves to fish the suspect Hannah. My love I have been patient all my life. And it's it's it's it's absolutely the best fishing grounds in the whole East Coast and that's probably why this is the only base on the East Coast that everybody. It was every stretch of the river he's fresh for 59 years he's seen the big

climb but he'll tell you how it used to be fishing and about the lure he had specially designed to look at. Don't make me shed guard the most ridiculous car I don't care what you ever come up with so we came up with this one. OK. And I had Bill Burton it's been a long long long ago and I and a doctor from I think West with him and I had one of these on the Dr. Song in Iraq going on the air and I had to the rag and bone buttons on me and he took it all in it and he caught six white shade in a row. The doctor called him on the list they are looking at numbers and we can get us a bunch of new and it's had me so I took them all and put two on bills and put another non The doctors they all had did Liz Taylor's on and we had a core I guess a name for shit you couldn't drum with a stick. It'll be a while before this river teams with the shad which were so ubiquitous in colonial

times. But the efforts are working. Fish collected at the condo window lift are also being used to stock other Maryland rivers and streams. These blue back Herring will be released into the Patapsco as part of another restoration effort. The Indians named at Patapsco meaning Tidewater they would never believe the affects of human progress. Dams at several locations thwart any fish's chances of making it up strained for. East coast fish don't jump. So surmounting a dam such as boating with an 18 foot drop is too much for Harry. Construction will begin soon to provide the fish with a Disneyland much like the one here on the little Patuxent.

Bush lot of. Which requires. Active movement on the part of the fish. Fish actually adder's the fish ladder and moves up the ladder under its own power. Different species of fish at different abilities as far as winning power. And so you have to match the line of the ladder itself that is the shoot of water. And the velocity of the water that's been sold by old within the shoe. To enable the fish under its own power. You ascend that ladder and reach the upstream. Over the dam. Building a ladder next to an existing dam is no easy task. A project such as this combines engineering with biology. There are. Engineering considerations for the stability of the down. See that it's in good shape. The water itself is an engineering feat. To match the abilities of the fish with water discharge and velocities.

And so there is a great deal involved with. Restoring the dam. Designing the first ladder constructing a fresh ladder. And monitoring the first lot of the see that it actually does what it's intended to do. I'm creating fish passages on the Patapsco will open up 30 miles of new spawning habitat statewide there are over 800 blockages and 100 of these are dams. These obstructions are one problem that can be solved. Reopening migratory fish spawning habitat is an intricate part of the overall restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Natural resource managers in Maryland Virginia and Pennsylvania and the federal government are working to reopen hundreds of miles of streams and rivers by the end of the decade. This will benefit both the fisheries in the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Ocean. The Indians who first navigated these rivers and taught us to fish for these silver slabs of

shad and iridescent herring would marvel today. These are live and ladders. Worldwide extinction of species. Is the most disastrous and irreversible activity. In which modern society is now engaged. Every form of life on earth is the result of over 20 million years of evolution a life form once gone is gone forever and with its destruction. Our Earth's fragile web of biological diversity. Is further diminished. As the ember sun sets to blows another day world wide. Three more species have now become extinct lost to us forever. At this rate one fifth of all species on Earth today may be extinct by the

year 2000. Less than a decade away. Lions once roamed these ancient forests. Elk and bison once raised the vast valley grasslands and waterfowl once blackened the sky above the Chesapeake spewer waters. What that was long ago. Before surveyors and politicians carved Maryland into a political entity. A time when animals were free to wander wherever food and shelter let them amid mountains and strain was following the same pathway as generations have to go. Unhindered by modern roads farms or factories. Rich in its diversity of landscapes ecosystems and species. Maryland harbored a natural wealth that made her the envy of the new world. Today hundreds of animal and plant species have vanished. Gone are the

wolves. ELK. And not. Over 200 plant and animal species once found in Maryland are now extinct in many instances where ecosystems have vanished and offered a lush native wetlands. That a 25 percent now remain. Yet nature is resilient and today pockets of native plants and animals. And even whole ecosystems survive as they did before. In these isolated forests. Rocky outcrops. And wetlands. Survive Marilyn's natural diversity a rich diversity that seems out of proportion to her small size. Perfectly framed by the Appalachians and the Atlantic. Biologists speculate that up to 30 percent of America's known species

grow slither creep crawl jump walk or fly. In Maryland. And that is our sign. To travel the state from mountain to Marsh in search of its fragile web of biological diversity. Given just 48 hours. Outdoors melon producer videographer Bob. Will traverse Maryland's five Vizio graphic regions. Exploring through the lands each one's unique natural diversity. Amid the mist of a cool mountain morning our trek begins flying furthest west the Appalachian plateau encompasses all of Garrett County and has to be our first region explored. With an average elevation of 2400 feet. This ancient mountain

chain stays much cooler and wetter than the rest of the state. The key factor which allows rare far northern species to survive in these southern latitudes. Fins will swamp is such a place here peat bogs and weapons still support the Arctic species which flourished during the last ice age 15 thousand years ago called a frost pocket. This micro climate is created by the swamps high surrounding mountains which trap and hold the cool moist air found in these high elevations. With a diverse natural community fins will swamp is not only a sight to behold but also a place to treasure that. Further east Washington and Allegheny County make up most of the region Valley region.

Here within the range shadow of the Appalachian plateau this region's western edge has become the most arid area in Maryland. Amid the old town shale barons the steep slopes of Devonian shady shed quickly any rain that's able to traverse the mountain ridge add to that the southern exposure and thin soils and a rare desert like habitat is found as a result. The living community has adapted fleshy stems spines and narrow leaves are adaptive features. Shale barren plants use to conserve any precious water. The hostel. This habitat is home to skanks copperheads and warblers throughout the year. Only 15 miles wide the Blue Ridge is the smallest of

Maryland's five regions occupying the western half of Frederick County. It reaches from the banks of the Potomac northward into Pennsylvania. Beneath the thick forest canopy fern draped books and cascades share this emerald world with dogwoods mosses wild flowers. And a host of forest floor creatures. Here the hardwood forest dominated by oak maple. Ash. And the. Shelter beneath them the rare mountain sound like a delicate flower that is more commonly found atop the cool Misty Mountains of Vermont. And Maine. As the eastern edge of the Catoctin Mountains fade the Piedmont region begins to roll eastward toward the coastal plain. Characterized by rolling hills and fertile valleys.

This area has seen the most impact by human suffering. Yet here lies soldiers delight. The largest of the wild serpent teen barons remaining in there. And like all such barons it too is home to a uniquely rare and natural community. Yes an open grassy barren surrounded by forests. Soldiers delight is an excellent example of how geology and climate determine the character of an area's biodiversity in a nutrient poor the soils from the Serpentine bedrock have created a micro climate that is hot and dry and inhospitable and thus the name barren. Yet it is here in these harsh conditions that a unique living community survives. Typically a flap and Sandy landscape the coastal plain is the

largest and most diverse of Maryland's five Vizio graphic regions with Southern Maryland and all of the eastern shore within its range. It enjoys a moist moderate climate due to its proximity to the ocean and Bay. Made the wetlands provide an extraordinary ecological value for wintering and nesting water spawning fish. And nutrient production which is so vital to the bay's survival. One of the northernmost stands a bald Cypress and the only one on Maryland's western shore is found amid Battle Creek swamp in southern Maryland. Bald Cypress have existed here for millions of years. These present days Cyprus are descendants of trees that occupied the area 15000 years ago just as the Ice Age departed. Today some trees stand over 100 feet tall and four feet in diameter.

While aerial root systems break through the surface from a submerged forest floor here the unique nature of Battle Creek strong. Creates a rich landscape of its own. Yes at the end of its run to the coastal plain gives way to the barrier islands of the Atlantic coast. Along the beach and amid the dunes the island's unique natural community provides a rich contrast with Marilyn's biodiversity. The very existence of human life is completely dependent upon maintaining the earth's biological diversity. To do this we must ensure the health and survival of old

ecosystems and the millions of species with which we share the. As a woman Bay one of Ocean City's greatest resources more than a natural haven it provides vacationers with a host of recreational opportunities. One of the latest fads to hit came from the exotic shores of Hawaii. He was living in Hawaii and used to be a lifeguard Neisha city here

and. In coming back and forth. Living here in the summer and going to a Wahoo in the winter time in there was getting really popular over there in the early 1980s. And so I started came back and opened up a company here in 1984. And I started out kind of slow and it's really. Picked up since. It involves this wide motorized platform. The wind the water and several motor boats. They just keep coming on. I don't know what he was and I think a lot of it is the. Venture the fear factor that. The Russian. The sportiest

parasailing. And its popularity has grown immensely over the past few years. Anyone can do it. And despite its image as a sport for thrill seekers It's really rather simple. Well it's similar to airplane takeoffs and landings we take off into the wind. We. Inflate the parachute and then the person is brought up with their harnesses on and their life preserver on they're. Connected to the parachute. With two clips. We position them in the harness so they are sitting comfortably. Release the line out of all. The pulley on the front of the platform and ride both the platform in the pull the boat into the wind. And there are. But whatever speeds necessary to create enough lift for them to take off. And then the landings we drive into the wind. But the line under the block and tackle in the front of the platform and their winch back down onto the. Highway and back. Now let us get really scared. And I. Thought I'm going to have a lot of that when I get

it right. But they probably read up on the pilot. Yes. Great feeling. Like. You know they're in a harness. It was beautiful. It's peaceful and it's not scary at all I thought I was going to scream. No I don't. But it's just that you can see everything in the water and it's really beautiful. Your hundred seventy five feet up in the air so you can see from the base all you can see the ocean the you know you can see a colony on a clear day. You know it all depends on the visibility. While the customers are enjoying the ride the men steering the boats are keeping their eyes on Bay traffic and the parasail. It's important to keep moving or the parasail will drop. So anticipating what other boats will do is essential as the para sails and their motor boats circle around the landing platform. The excitement of soaring with seagulls and flying through the air suspended by a single roll brings people of all ages to Kevin Smith's OSI

piracy. The beauty and freedom the sport affords can be enjoyed by participants and spectators alike. It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth. The environment contained elements that were hostile as well as supporting. Given time time not in years but in millennia. Life adjusts and a balance is reached. For time is the essential ingredient. But in the modern world there is no time. These words from Rachel Carson's Silent Spring were inspired by the research

going on at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel situated on forty seven hundred acres the center was founded in one thousand thirty six. As America's first national wildlife experiment station here biologists are working against time to save some critically endangered prey use the whooping cranes whose numbers were once in the tens of thousands numbered. Only 21 in the 1040s today's largest remaining flock winters on the coast of Texas and migrates north to breed at would Buffalo Park and Canada. Their numbers have recently increased to around 140 birds. The Chino a biologist at Patuxent explains how the captive flock of grains began in the mid 60s we started taking eggs from the Wood Buffalo population in the wild of course. Normally two eggs are

laid and usually only one chick survives. So it was felt that by taking one egg we could start the flock and the population would not suffer. And that's how they got started. Now we have birds that lay their own legs here and we're trying to get them to produce more in captivity again so that we can release them to the wild. The captive propagation program is also being used on the even more endangered Mississippi sandhill crane. As with the whooping grain Some chicks are hatched in an incubator and raised by hand. While others are raised by foster parents. We raise them here to about six months of age and then transfer them down to Mississippi sandhill crane National Wildlife Refuge. The birds are raised either by foster parents by related Florida sandhill cranes are greater sandhill cranes are sometimes we hand rare them but we have to do so in a manner so that the birds don't become imprinted or

attached to people. We often use costumes our puppet heads are careful of them from behind screens so they can not see the human form and we try to keep adult birds close by them so they get properly imprinted on the film. Kathleen O'Malley raises the chicks. She feels an attachment to each bird she cares for but he's happy with the success of her protection reared birds in the wind. This year we released about 38 considering that the population down there has kind of steady around 90. We released almost 40 birds this year that which is almost half again the flock size. So that was a substantial release. They need a certain number to help them survive by putting out a large number of birds like that you just increase their chances of being able to make it out there. Both the Mississippi sandhill cranes and the whooping cranes are endangered because of the way we have altered their habitat.

The primary decline has been through the last habitation draining of wetlands. There were probably some complications with pesticides but we've lost so many wetlands with the Hoovers make that migration of the 20 700 mile trip it takes them several weeks to make this trip. They fly a couple hundred miles and then they rested just like we would if they were drawn across country we hit a hotel. Well we took all their hotels away. Well every year the Hoopers fly back and forth and there's less hotels to rest in and a lot of them just never make the trip. Biologist said the toxins are not just concerned with endangered species they are also in the forefront of environmental research. Recently they noticed the population of canvasback ducks wittering on the Chesapeake Bay was declining dramatically. Studies are underway now to see if a change in their diet may be the culprit by maintaining a breeding population of the toxin they can regulate the ducks food supply and see if this influences their reproduction.

Historically canvas facts fed on. Merged with a plant called the wild celery and with Lucius has just about been wiped out and we've observed that the campus packs are now eating only on clams. So it's a pretty drastic change from a vegetative diet to a protein diet and we're trying to find out if this could possibly influence their survival and reproduction. It takes years of study and dedication to make a real difference in the future of these cranes and the wonderful people like Kathleen are showing that we can undo some of the harm we've inflicted on our environment. The efforts of those at the talks and are having a positive impact on flocks of birds hundreds of miles away as well as birds in our own backyard. They are basically a very beautiful animal that needs a hand because of what we've done to the environment. They deserve a break from us and. I just kind of

getting a chance to hear them. When you raise a baby you really get a. Bit mean. To them. I I can't imagine what Sprint would be like if I didn't get to raise him right. Merging is become one of the most popular outdoor recreation activities today. Nationwide the number of burgers increases year after year and here in Maryland that's no exception. Local breeders constantly flock from summer to shore in search of birding hotspots throughout the state. With binoculars on life lists in hand they search and scour the countryside hoping to get a glimpse of a rare Lucy traveling yet for a small band of Maryland birds their annual migration takes them far afield to a birding hotspot that is actually quite a cool one. Well you see this flock of birders belong to the

same nest. They are all staff or members of the National Aquarium in Baltimore home to the largest colony of Frogger Coolio Arctica in captivity. Or for you and I the Atlantic puffin. With a manmade migration of over 3000 miles the birders final destination is highway. 1 of the Westman Islands off the southern coast of Iceland. Here exists one of the largest breeding colonies of puffins in Iceland and a regional hub for the aquariums Cala. Surrounded by this awesome beauty. The Atlantic begins its life. These are the Westman Islands a place of breathtaking beauty and contrasts. A land where Stark powering cliffs stand bare against the vast North Atlantic. It's also a land of lush green grasses islands where colors

saturate the eye. From May through August. The brief Arctic summer the pumpkins use these islands to breed. While Popham breeding grounds ring the North Atlantic the largest by far along the southern coast of Eisner. The National Aquarium in Baltimore has been studying these patterns for several years now. Biologists and ornithologists joined by volunteers spend weeks each summer studying the various aspects of the company's life cycle and habitat. The information gathered is essential to maintaining and improving upon the care of the aquariums pop an exhibit. While expanding knowledge of the puffins in the wild. Though the two are often confused puffins and penguins are not related. Puff and spend their life north of the equator while penguins live south in the

waters off Antarctica. Unlike puppies. Penguins cannot fly. However they both share similar body coloration. A form of camouflage found in many open ocean animals. Belonging to the family of sea birds known as Al SIDS puffins close relatives include razor bales and murders. All of which have several adaptations which enable them to survive in the cold arctic ocean. Puffins have a thick coat of down underneath their top feathers. This fluffy down traps in air which keeps their skin in the warm and dry. The beak is used to spread oil from a gland at the base of the tail. All the feathers making them wonder. Which eggs in. Whimsical in appearance the long days of the short Arctic summer allow a little time calming for these adults there is urgent business at hand. Breeding. Nests to be ready and young to raise.

Puffins mate for life. Once ashore they will prepare the nests in burrows or crevices. Within each nest. A single chick awaits its feeding while the fish are left at the entrance of the boat. The seas around the Westman Islands have abundant Sandy and the mainstay of the Pathans diet because the tongue and the roof of their mouth are covered with short inward facing spines up and are able to hold several fish in their beaks as they forage for more. As they mature these young chicks padded up and down the burrow wary of the outside world. They're wise to be cautious. Ever alert go hubba waiting for a careless fledgling. To devour. Eventually as the early Arctic winter approaches. The safety of the barrel must be left behind.

Once the young have mastered both foraging and flying. The possums leave their summer home to winter upon the open sea. Exactly where they go or how they survive the harsh Arctic winter remains one of nature's secrets. Yet every spring the puffins return to breed again. And the cycle of life or the puffins of the Westman Islands continues. All watched carefully by the burgers from Baltimore. Why. The glistening waters of the Chesapeake are a perpetual source of inspiration and support from Islanders. Over the years food music transportation and told to so been harvested from this generous estuary. Not until recent decades though did anyone imagine this vital resource might have limits.

The human abuses might critically while our bountiful provider the Chesapeake. But population growth Urban Development and changing agricultural practices significantly increased pollutants entering the Chesapeake. In 1984 in order to protect not only the bay but adjacent lands and there inhabit. The state of Maryland created legislation to help local governments manage a 1000 foot strip dubbed critical areas. An independent agency the critical area commission was formed to develop and enforce land use regulations for the affected 16 counties and 44 municipalities. Sarah Taylor executive director of the critical area commission elaborate. I have to be very honest. The critical areas is a

philosophy of land use not just water protection. Because on our land. Are our forests. And alongside of the up land are wetlands and in some parts of the critical area there are non-title wetlands as well as open space agriculture. These lands are valuable for many purposes. And the point of critical areas is to get through to everyone who uses that land and granted it may be only a thousand feet and that isn't very much. But it is a way of saying Business must be done a little bit different here folks in this thousand foot area. It's impossible to erase the past or make changes overnight. An intensely developed areas like Baltimore. Stunning and disturbing evidence of human carelessness persists in critical areas. Nonetheless the first small steps toward renewal along the 50 miles off shore line in Baltimore are being

taken. In the middle branch area south of the Inner Harbor. With the help of public monies and private companies such as Carl Lowery. Grasses and trees are being reintroduced into an industrial setting. The middle branch area is responding. And against all odds. Wildlife and water fowl are growing in number. In Langford farms in Kant County compromise smoothed out potential rough spots. Neighbors on the other side of Langford great hope the critical areas criteria would rule out development on the five hundred seventy five acre former farm site. They were wrong. A skillful design developed with the full cooperation of state and local officials however ease tensions responsable design requirements such as clustering housing units restricting the number of docking periods to 11 creating a pond with a circulator for migrating waterfowl and setting aside a 95 acre interior forest wildlife sanctuary are examples

of the proactive environmental role taken by this developer. But development is not always so conciliatory in critical areas. At Chesapeake Beach one of the few areas with white sand on the western side of the bay condominiums crowd the shoreline. This development initiated before the critical areas regulations went into effect threatens the two major attractions of the area. The beaches and the water associated with the Chesapeake Bay. Runoff of fertilizer and chemicals has been reduced by using best management practices and resource conservation areas where active farms operate. The introduction of nitrogen into the bay is a major concern. Because it encourages algae blooms which starve the Bay of oxygen. The interior forests are considered excellent natural filters of pollutants entering the bay. Scott Smith a wildlife biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural

Resources is conducting a study to determine the impact of development on forest interior glow and burn. Any type of animal is adapted to certain habitat conditions. And you have a. Gradient from open grassland areas to pick the forests. Unfortunately the animals on both ends of the spectrum both the grassland animals they just need a large expanse of grassland and the animals that need large expanses of forest are hurting the ones in the middle that can use these fragmented areas edge edge areas and the ones that are doing well. An aged northern cardinal for example this is a bird that's expanding its range in the United States it will nest next to your house in a mess out here in these in these forest openings. I don't mean to say that a species of bad. But we need to maintain some large tracts of forests mature forests for these forced to reverse.

Some of the most beautiful animals on the planet are some of the sports material birds. I call them Jules Of course there are beautiful yellows and reds and blues much of the forest land in South America and Central America and here North America is being lost. To things like agriculture residential development all the things about modern society. We're chewing up our force and we are replacing the forest lands and these are very very important for the future of the species. Why can't we take a look at what has already been built. And think of. A better you a better design. That will. Encourage people. To live in most places. Instead of reaching out and then. Finding out you have to come. Why can't we build. But use up less space. And

keep. Large areas of open space or forested space or even a cultural space. Open along with development. These are the types of steps the critical area concept and courage. You're. A storm breaks out over Baltimore's inner harbor at sunset showcasing a rejuvenated cityscape. This vital area is living proof that humans can control and improve their own creations. In the last decade of the 20th century. This can do attitude is being expanded to include consideration of the natural world that surrounds us particularly along the edge where land and water meet in the Chesapeake and its tributaries. With the help of well-intended management policies like the critical areas legislation all of us can work together. Toward a healthier more prosperous tomorrow where

storms will be passing pleasantries. Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me. There's an old song that goes it's so peaceful in the country. And this is true. Unfortunately as the cities grow old more rural areas become the suburbs and we have to go further and further afield to find that little piece of country. More and more people are looking for a brief escape cheeking a path less traveled a quiet reprieve a chance to get out of doors and away from it all just north of Baltimore's Beltway nearly parallel to Interstate 83 running north into Pennsylvania. Is the former road bed of the old northern central rail. Now a 20 mile long Greenway

providing a recreational pathway for short walks day hikes biking or horseback riding. We've been biking all our lives and have. Wanted. A good activity that we can do with the kids and this trails especially nice for children. We have a lot of friends who bring their children here and ride their bikes here. And it's nice all year round. Right along the river so we can stop throw rocks into the river. That's his favorite activity. The North Central trail just happens to us place around Maryland right. The Northern Central Railroad trail was developed as you see today is a hiking and biking facility in the early 1980s.

In 1984 was when it was developed through a grant from the National Park Service. But the railroad was abandoned and became part of the venerable for hiking bike trail in 1982 when Hurricane Agnes destroyed the railroad put it out of service. Trailers developed in 1984 for several miles and then in 1909 we developed an additional 12 and a half miles from Oakland to the Pennsylvania line railroad station was also developing linking you know into service a Interpretive Center on. The trail still passes through the same communities that it did when it was a railroad Ashland Phoenix. All those little historic counter still there for people to come through today. The trails maintained by the Department of Natural Resources with all the assistance of citizens who serve as volunteers and sister park rangers are maintaining a facility. This is a white party. We're going to be playing. Right out or at the word Yeah. Here was a take that

you need over to the ranger and you'll have to lay him out the OK. The gunpowder meanders along the northern central trail for many miles providing access to one of Maryland's most popular trout streams. Controlled Release of water from the pretty boy reservoir helps to maintain a regulated water level that is advantageous to both fish and sport fishing. Along with fishing the Gun Powder River offers some of the most scenic beauty to be found along the trail and is very popular for canoeing and rafting trips. The Northern Central Railroad trail offers more than just an opportunity to get out of doors and

back to nature. It's also a walk through time. Ashland the southern terminus of the trail was once a large iron works a century ago although little remains of this once thriving industry the former workers housing is now a townhouse complex and the old one room schoolhouse is a private residence in the continuing north along the trail one can find the old hotels of Corbett and Friedland Maryland both still stand as private homes. In the northern central railroad trail is unique in its close proximity to a major metropolitan area and the rich outdoor experience it offers. It's miles of old railroad bed or a pathway out of the city and into the countryside providing a wide variety of recreational activities for everyone. Outdoors Maryland is a production of Maryland Public Television which is soley responsible

for its content. Please write with your comments or suggestions to outdoors Maryland Maryland Public Television Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7.