8000 Years on the Patuxent

 
I was back at Jug Bay today to guide a public canoe trip. The entire group today was from one family having a family reunion. Most of the 19 participants were from out of state – including Florida, Texas, California. We had a great day for the trip with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70’s. After the general orientation, the morning trip headed up the Patuxent and into the Western Branch. We encountered plentiful wildlife including a black rat snake at the gear shack, a muskrat just after we set out, turtles, and a great northern water snake. The skies were filled with hunting osprey and great blue herons. Red-winged blackbirds flickered through the cattails. Just above Billingsley Landing on the Western Branch we encountered a downed tree that almost blocked the river. We did just manage to get past and on the upstream side we found a nasty collection of bottles, balls, and other trash that had been strained out by the tree. It was definitely a job for the Riverkeeper Roughnecks and I plan to send them an e-mail.

On the return trip we talked about the rich history of the river and stopped at Mt. Calvert at the confluence of the Western Branch and the main branch of the Patuxent. Since it was Saturday, the small museum in the 1780’s plantation house was open. The group was also fortunate to have Donald Creveling, archeology program manager with the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission, on hand to tell us about site. The museum houses an exhibit on the confluence of three cultures that occurred on this hill overlooking the Patuxent – the Native Americans who inhabited the land for at least 8000 years, the Europeans who settled the area and built a town here in the 1683, and the enslaved Africans that they brought to these lands. Filled with thousands of artifacts unearthed in the surrounding fields, the museum is a gem of information on Maryland history from pre-Columbian times into the 20th century. The area is still an active archeological dig and we could see researchers digging on a rise overlooking the river about a half mile from the main house.

Canoe and Rescue Training at Jug Bay

Had a memorable time this Saturday attending Canoe and Rescue training at the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on the Patuxent. I volunteer at the Sanctuary as a canoe guide and the training was a great opportunity to hone old skills and learn new ones. Frank Marsden, a Certified Instructor with the American Canoe Association, led the class. Bringing his 20 years of experience, Mr. Marsden taught the assembled volunteers methods to improve paddling techniques, safety protocols, and guiding tips.

The floods of last week (see the previous posting) also impacted Jug Bay. A massive debris field of downed trees, cattail stalks, hundreds of discarded bottles and other sundry trash had piled along the upstream side of our pier. It was a sad sight and an opportunity for another cleanup. But today that would have to wait as we focused on the canoe training. We finally had a marvelous day – sunny, dry, and in the 70’s. Setting out, we paddled our canoes up to the Western Branch of the Patuxent. After practicing various paddle strokes and techniques we went ashore to eat lunch and prepare for getting really wet.

In the afternoon we got back on the river, and below the centuries old Mt Calvert House and Archeological Park, we practiced rescue drills. We took turns dumping ourselves into the river and then being rescued by the other guides. While a rare occurrence – I’ve only seen one canoe capsize in a dozen years of leading trips at Jug Bay – the lessons were an excellent refresher. And even with the cold early season water temperatures, everyone enthusiastically participated.

After everyone had a chance to rescue and be rescued we headed back in, savoring the great weather. The successfully training session got everyone into great spirits to kick-off another canoe season at Jug Bay.

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Storm Waters

It's raining again today. It has been a wet week in Maryland; we had half a foot of rain over the previous weekend that caused lots of flooding. With so much land paved over for roads and parking lots, the rain has no were to go and with 6 inches of rain, the storm ponds built around the housing developments and strip malls were simply overwhelmed. As I was driving on Monday I saw the county Swift Water Rescue Team race down the highway, as I was to learn later, to save a man whose pickup truck had gotten washed away driving down a flooded roadway. I myself drove past several areas on the local backroads were streams that are normally tiny brooks were up and onto the roads.

The heavy run-off also has negative environmental impacts on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as the rushing waters erode the stream banks and undermine the root systems of streamside trees. The run-off also carries excess nitrogen from lawn fertilizer, pesticides, automotive, and household wastes into the bay. On drier days, if you explore the local streams, you'll find most sit in steeply eroded gullies carved by previous storms. All the sediment and pollutants are washed downriver into the bay making the water more turbid and smothering underwater grasses.

The problem is discussed in detail in the Patuxent 20/20 Report. Techniques for handling storm water run-off have improved over the years and the 2007 Stormwater Management Act will require developers to use greener, low-impact development techniques, but regulation and enforcement for the act is still being formulated. In the meantime, homeowners can help by installing rain barrels at their downspouts. These capture much of the rainwater and even provide a ready source of water for watering your lawn and garden.