Yesterday I ventured into the woods where I deer hunt every year, on a friend’s property in PG county. A few hours of checking my stands and cutting back growth was refreshing exercise on this sunny fall day. Next week I will return for a couple days of post-Thanksgiving hunting during Maryland’s firearms season.
I visited the Chesapeake Heritage and Visitors Center on Kent Island yesterday morning. This is home to a beautiful information center about the history and current attractions of this part of the eastern shore, including a waterfront park. The center is the “go to” place to plan adventures and weekend visits in Queen Anne’s County.
Chesapeake Heritage and Visitors Center:
Local History & Heritage Archives – Visit Queen Anne’s County (visitqueenannes.com)
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail:
Star-Spangled Banner Trail – National Historic Trail Stewards (starspangledtrail.net)
From the National Park Service: The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, established by Congress in 2008, is a 560-mile land and water route that tells the story of the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake Bay region. The trail traces American and British troop movements, introduces visitors to communities affected by the war, and highlights the Chesapeake region’s distinctive landscapes and waterways. It connects historic sites in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and commemorates the events leading up to the Battle for Baltimore, the aftermath of which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the U.S. national anthem.
The advice below are excerpts from WebMD’s “Health Benefits of Getting Outside.” WebMD is a popular resource for medical facts about healthy living. More and more, doctors are recommending that people get outside to improve and maintain good health… a simple walk or bike in the park for as little as 15 to 30 minutes is excellent for both our body and mind. Here’s why:
One last tip about the sun and safety: “Protect yourself from the sun with long sleeves, sunglasses, and a hat. Use broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher, even when it’s cloudy. Try to let people know where you go, especially if you’re going alone into a wilderness area,”… but it is a good idea even for a park.
I had the opportunity to dedicate my afternoon to a little outdoor recreation, so I picked the B&A Trail to log some serious seat time on my mountain bike. This paved trail is the pride of Anne Arundel County Parks and Recreation and is part of the National Rail-Trail Network. The B&A Trail is the location of the old Baltimore and Annapolis railroad line, which was very popular before the aggressive growth of automobile transportation. Just think, all the talk today is of “sustainable” transportation… and here we have the perfect little path for that.
The trail head is located just outside the City of Annapolis, near the World War II Memorial and Jonas Green Park on Route 450 and the Severn River. I was tempted to start at Jonas Green Park, but I wanted to keep today’s ride pure B&A, beginning and end. The maps show the trail as 13.3 miles from the start at Boulter’s Way “mile marker 0 mile” until end of the line on Dorsey Road in Glen Burnie. I started from the “south parking lot” off Route 450, so my app recorded 13.97 miles.
This asphalt trail is really perfect for road bikes, but I don’t have a road bike (and probably never will), so I slugged it out on my ancient Trek mountain bike… and made sure the tires were fully inflated for a smooth and efficient ride. When starting from the Annapolis area trail head, you really don’t encounter many interruptions to the speedy momentum you gain on this paved trail. As you get closer to Glen Burnie, there are firm stops at lights and the car traffic starts to slow things down. The majority of the ride is straight ahead, as you would envision a railway to be, but here and there you have wooden and concrete bridges, little bends and a few blind curves – so you have to be aware and pay attention for others on the trail.
The Ranger Station at Earleigh Heights is the perfect half time pit stop if you need it. It’s an old railway station and really looks the part. The bathrooms are clean and modern – not your usual public park restroom fare. Inside the station, there is supposed to be a display of the history of this building, which includes a store and post office, but alas, the office was closed. In addition to these amenities, there are many benches, picnic tables, working water fountains to hydrate and fill your bottle, and even a bike repair kiosk. It is a perfect place for a break on this long trail ride.
The county considers this long trail a park, and indeed it is. There are benches all along the trail, with little enclaves of park-like settings. In fact, it is so park-like, you will encounter all types of wildlife along the way. The first animal I saw along the side of the trail was a rabbit, and then counted three more as I road to the end and back. There are many birds at the various wet-land areas. The most interesting encounter was a big buck deer, with antlers, that jumped across the path in front of me and then ran off into the woods. I kicked myself for not having my phone ready to record this event, since I was taking photos and video along the way. Towards the end of my ride, I came across, of all things, chickens. They were running about, pecking at the grass, as if they had just escaped from their pen in someone’s yard.
The B&A Trail is not just for bikes. Half the people I saw on the trail were walking or jogging. It is a nice tree-lined park for a quiet walk, if that is all you want. This trail connects to the BWI trail and there are connections to other trails, such as the East Coast Greenway, as well as groups who advocate for connections – like BikeAAA* for the Anne Arundel Trail Network. I am just discovering all the connections, but it seems that if you really wanted to, with the right map, you could just ride on forever… or until you get a flat or get hungry. I will leave this exploration for another blog post!
*BikeAAA provided the repair stand/pump at the Ranger Station and holds an annual event called the Lifeline 100 (Oct. 2, 2022).
About Anne Arundel County Trails
On Saturday 6/25/2022 a group from Save Greenbury Point joined Naturalist Jessy Oberright on the Bobwhite Trail behind Greenbury Point Nature Center to help with her Greenbury Point Biodiversity Project. For me, it was a fun and relaxing learning experience and my first time using the iNaturalist app. Jessy said our group was able to contribute 47 observations to iNaturalist, documenting 28 different species of plants and animals.
After our naturalist session, I went on to walk further inside the Greenbury Point Conservation Area to take more photos and enjoy the sunny morning. My slow and observational walk made me think of this John Muir quote:
I don’t like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not ‘hike!’ Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre’, ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.
The collection of photos below are some for the iNaturalist project and then others from my leisurely saunter around Greenbury Point.
Today we had a pre-planned visit to the Nature Center, which is open to the public and was scheduled with Katharine Seguin, the NSA Annapolis Natural Resources Manager. The Greenbury Point Nature Center, adjacent to and at the entrance of the gated Chesapeake Bay-front Greenbury Point Conservation Area, is an important resource that supports the conservation area and the natural resource mission for the entire Greenbury Point peninsula. The purpose of the center is to document and display Greenbury Point’s wild plant and animal habitat, educate young and old about environmental management and provide a space for visitors to learn about the present-day natural landscape and cultural history of the peninsula. It is essential that this center remain open and accessible. Below are photos of the center, taken with permission from Seguin.
From the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan – Naval Support Activity Annapolis:
“The Greenbury Point Nature Center is a 2,400 square-foot structure housing 16 exhibits on cultural and natural resources. Since opening in 2000, the nature center has offered programs for scouts, school children, and volunteer organizations. Over two miles of walking trails and a bird-watching platform located near the nature center are two of the key features of outdoor recreation and environmental awareness at NSAA North Severn.”
As of at least May this year, the Naval Academy Golf Association wants to turn Greenbury Point Conservation Area into a 2nd private Navy members-only golf course, wiping out the wild habitat that Naval Support Activity Annapolis and the Nature Center have been nurturing for over 20 years.
The gated conservation area, which features miles of access road, forest, wildlife, wetlands, trails, bench areas, fishing spots, and the famous communication towers, has been closed for maintenance Monday to Friday during the month of June.
The Nature Center trails, behind and nearby the building, have been open. One very special feature of the trail system is the “Poet’s trail” behind the Nature Center, with several loops and two observation buildings along Carr Creek. This can be seen in the photos below, and one of the loops opens next to the main Navy Rugby field before continuing along the creek. These peaceful trails have been populated with signage, displaying quotes by well-known poets and naturalists who thoughtfully wrote about the natural world and our place in it. A contemplative walk here is open from dawn to dusk (times are posted) for those who want to escape the noise and hassle of everyday life.
The center itself may be visited by appointment with the Natural Resources Manager. As seen in the photos and info below, the Nature Center has been the central hub for Naval Support Activity Annapolis’ environmental stewardship for the entire Greenbury Point peninsula. Here, midshipmen, Navy families, and the public can learn about the local ecosystem and how to protect and maintain it.
From the Naval Support Activity Annapolis Environmental Management Guide (in photos below) available at the Nature Center:
“Implemented in 1960, the Sikes Act Requires each Military Department to manage their natural resources in a way that does not negatively impact the military mission. In the case of NSA Annapolis, preservation of natural resources actually plays an important role in the base’s mission by providing a healing environment for our injured service members.”
“What Natural Resources are found at NSA Annapolis? Over 300 acres of forests and streams occur on the Installation. These forests are all different ecosystems including coastal pine woods, edge forests, wetlands, streams, and others. Greenbury Point also contains a network of trails, providing recreational opportunities for personnel and visitors on base.”
The photos below are from inside the Nature Center and then behind it on the Poet’s Trail, June 23, 2022:
Artwork celebrating Greenbury Point Conservation Area
Maryland Outdoor Life 