I did not think this would happen: The Appellate Court of Maryland has stood up for the mighty, old hemlocks and pines of Swallow Falls State Park in Western Maryland. Readers of my Sun column in 2024 and this blog in 2025 might recall the fight to save the trees, led by Steve Storck (pictured … Continue reading A win for the trees of Swallow Falls
An old tradition: Naming places on rivers and trails
Those who fish — and I’m sure it’s true of those who hunt and hike — have a habit of naming familiar places in the great outdoors, branding them in some personal way. Gunpowder River Along the Gunpowder River in northern Baltimore County, most anglers know where to find Whale Rock. Given the large boulder … Continue reading An old tradition: Naming places on rivers and trails
WWYD: What Would You Do?
So you park your car in the shopping center parking lot, a couple of safe spaces from a carriage corral. You get out. You grab a carriage from the carriage corral. As you do this, you notice a double-roll package of paper towels in the lower tray of one of the other carriages. Having watched … Continue reading WWYD: What Would You Do?
A Bridge Too Far in Western Maryland; the fight for hemlocks and history continues
In the far western corner of Maryland, Steve Storck (photo above) keeps fighting for the old hemlocks in Swallows Falls State Park. As I reported a couple of months ago, the plan to replace a single-lane bridge over the Youghiogheny River, near the entrance to the park, with a wider parallel span would cut into … Continue reading A Bridge Too Far in Western Maryland; the fight for hemlocks and history continues
Save these trees: Swallow Falls and a bridge too far
Joan Maloof, founder of the Old Growth Forest Network, has joined the fight to keep the state of Maryland from allowing Garrett County to cut potentially 300 trees (and possibly more) in public lands at Swallow Falls State Park to build a new bridge across the Youghioghgeny River. Says Joan: "We don’t have enough staff … Continue reading Save these trees: Swallow Falls and a bridge too far
Dan Rodricks 