Clock works on tree stump or time |
Cardinal Flower |
Hollow Stump |
Un-named stream on the North side |
Un-named stream on the North side |
See Climb Maryland for Raven Rock routes |
Shiva the Destroyer |
Cool shelf mushroom |
Viburnum |
1938 Studebaker Dictator Coupe |
In 2006 I organized a tire clean up with the help of the Greater Baltimore Canoe Club |
Some of the volunteers for the tire clean up. |
Some of the many tires found in the park. |
River chariot |
In the end we retrieved 46 of the 70 known tires in the 2 miles of river. Later, close to a thousand tires were found on a very small tributary. MD dept of the Environment contacted the land owner and most were removed from the illegal dump. In this case the land owner inherited the problem when they purchased the land. |
25 Mile Stone Bridge at York Rd |
25 Mile Stone Bridge at York Rd |
Homestead foundation |
Lintel from homestead foundation, chestnut? |
View Slide Show |
May 22, 2010 saw another and maybe final cleanup of the upper section of the Gunpowder River and the surrounding riparian buffer.
| 2010 Tire Success |
2010 Tire Success |
2010 Tire Run Slide Show |
Six fun loving canoers were compelled to action and spent a beautiful day on the Upper Gunpowder River between Falls Rd at Beckley's Bridge to Big Falls Rd. It wasn't long before the first item, a traffic barrel was plucked from the river.   Earlier in the week, a survey found eight tires between York Rd. and Big Falls Rd.   As the name suggest, the main goal was to remove tires but anything that could be loaded into the boats was removed.   One tire hunter decided that tires were not enough, he wanted a whole car.   Well, I told him that if he wanted a Ford Pinto his wish was about to come true.   But no, he wanted something bigger, well how about a Chevy station wagon circa 1956, not good enough.   Well then how about a true and rare classic, a 1938 Studebaker Dictator Coupe?   Still not what he wanted.   That only leaves what might be the few remaing pieces of an old VW Bug.   Some people you just can't satisfy.   He finally settled for the tire and rim from a tractor trailer.   The group was delighted to find out that when all was said and done seven more tires than were known had been pulled from the river.   Fifteen (15) tires today, Twenty nine (29) last year, seven (7) the second year and fortysix (46) the first, Wow, who knew?   Also removed were a child's electric buggy, one traffic cone, boards with nails, one garbage can and many other lost and disposed of items.   The stream had fewer strainers than last year in spite of the low, almost too low, water level.   This was the forth clean up I have organized as a Greater Baltimore Canoe Club member.   My thanks go out to Kara, Chip, Lee, Jim and David and the Shuttle Mamma. |
May 16, 2009 saw another great cleanup of the Gunpowder River and the surrounding riparian buffer.
| 2009 Tire Success |
2009 Tire Success |
2009 Tire Run Slide Show |
Nine adventurous canoers and kayakers enthusiastically attacked the leavings of less informed visitors and neighbors.   The crew scoured the hillsides and deepest depths of the river to remove their quarry.   The main goal was to remove tires but anything that could be loaded into the boats was removed.   The crew was estatic when they realized that there were now twenty nine (29) fewer tires, several inner tubes, numerous crocs and flipflops, two garbage cans (now filled) plus too many other items to mention.   The stream had more strainers than I can recall in thirtyfour (34) years of paddling this section.   Each one a little harder to get over as the boats filled up with more tires.   This was the third clean up I organized as a Greater Baltimore Canoe Club member.   My thanks go out to Katie, Kara, Laura, Ellen, Jack Jeff, Jason, Matt and Don(3rd time). |
Dumps and abandoned material are found in many parts of the park.   This is a selection and the effort to clean up one of these.    This one is the Bunkerhill Dump.    Unfortunately some one felt that if no one sees it, it is OK to dump. Well, it has been found and someday it will be cleand up, hopefully.    The sad part is that the dump lies in the original trail that went from Baltimore, MD to York, PA. It was known as the York Turnpike and was a toll road.
| Bunkerhill Dump Slide Show |
March 2011 Update, Maryland Department of the Environment has visited the site and refered this dump to the appropriate county officials.
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