Weeks of clouds and rain have us thinking a lot about water, so it’s appropriate that our next field trip is about stream restoration.  Join us at First Mine Run, a private club on land with a conservation easement, located at 3013 White Hall Road, on Saturday, May 21, at 10 am.  Scott McGill, a principal of Ecotone and ecosystem restoration professional, will present information on stream restoration, and show us the work he’s done at the club to return the stream to self-sustaining behavior.  This is a great program for anyone interested in the great outdoors; as Leonardo da Vinci said, “Water is the driver of nature."  Click here to register for this free event.

Little Gunpowder Falls Watershed Community Workshop

Benjamin Franklin said, "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."  And when the well is full to overflowing, we know the damage water can do. Tuesday, June 14, from six to nine pm at the Harford Glen Environmental Center, 502 W. Wheel Road in Bel Air, a community workshop will be held to identify and prioritize places along the upper and lower Little Gunpowder Falls watershed (including Baltimore and Harford counties as well as Aberdeen Proving Ground) that could help improve resilience to, oh, two or three weeks of unrelenting rain, or individual large storms.  Come see what’s in the works and make your voice heard!

Ladew Field Trip

There's always something new at Ladew!  Wednesday, June 15, at 9 am, come out to Ladew for a guided tour of The Nature Walk, an 80-plus acre natural landscape.  We’ll explore meadow, forest and wetland habitats to observe plant-animal interactions and the succession of plant communities.   Click here to register (space is limited – entrance to Ladew will be free, but you must be registered in order to attend).

Bike-to-Work Day May 20

Friday, May 20, is Bike to Work Day in the Baltimore area.  There will be events, pit stops, and convoys organized at various venues.  Click here to register.  Even if you’re not able to ride, take care to share the road.  And if you are able to ride, know that many of the beautiful views along our rural roads are made possible by the efforts of land trusts like ours that preserve land from development,

Rural Roads

Speaking of rural roads, there was a meeting at the Ag Center on May 3 to show interested parties where road and bridge work will be happening.  It appears there is maintenance work planned on Irish Avenue, Matthews Road, and Wesley Chapel, among other places.  Let us know if you need more information.

CZMP -- A Work In Progress

We’re in the midst of the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process;  county council public hearings will be held during June, followed by the county council review from July 1 to September 15.  We’ve been keeping track of requested changes and are pleased to report that the very few we’ve identified in our area either will have little effect or a positive effect on maintaining our rural character.