Gunpowder Valley Conservancy

Renewed Baltimore Watershed Agreement sets five new priorities

From a good article  in the Sun today by Rona Kobell: 

Baltimore City and Baltimore County officials pledged yesterday to protect streams and rivers, signing [a renewed] Baltimore Watershed Agreement in Towson ... [The] new agreement [addresses] the watershed's five most persistent problems: storm water management, trash, development, public health concerns and a lack of green space.

The next step will be setting goals:

Over the next year, environmental groups will work with city and county officials to develop specific goals for reducing pollution in [...] local watersheds

The article mentions only three watersheds: Jones Falls, Herring Run, and Gwynns Falls. Nevertheless, a couple of Gunpowder sub-watersheds figure into the agreement: Loch Raven and Prettyboy. These are part of the mix because their two reservoirs, although located entirely in Baltimore County, are owned and operated by Baltimore City.

UPDATE: The Baltimore Examiner covered the signing too.

Marshy Point Nature Center breaks ground on $2.8M upgrade

From a Baltimore County press release:

The Nature Center, located at 7130 Marshy Point Road [near the mouth of the Gunpowder River in Chase, MD], will receive $2.8 million worth of essential facilities to include a canoe launch and storage building, parking lot expansion, trails with boardwalk and pedestrian bridge, and a new access road to the other side of the Park. The new amenities will provide enhanced educational facilities for students of the Baltimore County Public Schools and recreational facilities for Baltimore County citizens. The projects are scheduled to be completed in late spring of 2007.

Governor Elect O'Malley's plans for open space

From an article in the Sun. Key bit:

O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said using the state's dedicated open space funds for their intended purpose was No. 7 in the 10-point plan that was the backbone of the governor-elect's campaign stump speech.

"The money is there, and the goal is to fully fund it," Abbruzzese said. "During the transition we continue to work through the budget as new revenue projections come in, but it was a priority during the campaign."

 

Historic restoration at Cromwell Valley Park

This article in the Sun quotes Jim Kelly, chair of GVC's History Committee.

today Baltimore County officials will celebrate the completion of a project to restore 10 buildings at Cromwell Valley Park. ... Most of the buildings dated from the 1930s, but at least one structure, a large barn, appears to have been constructed around the time of the Civil War....The oldest home, Willow Grove Farm, once belonged to prominent Baltimore banker Robert Merrick. The other farms belonged to the Sherwood and Eck families.

But there is more to be done:

The next stage of improvements include new signs and renovations to the Merrick House, a log cabin and lime house.

Cromwell Valley Park lies next to Minebank Run, a tributary of the Gunpowder.

Sewers near streams in Baltimore (test video)

Here's another short video about the problems that come with old sewer lines that have been built next to streams.

V-shaped weirs (test video)

V-shaped weirs are structures that can be built in streams to reduce erosion of the stream banks.