North Branch of Potomac becomes recreational center

(Source: The Charleston Gazette)By Paul J. Nyden, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.
Jan. 17--Read the full report here

MORGANTOWN -- After decades of pollution, Maryland state agencies have turned the North Branch of the Potomac River into a major recreational area and boon to local economic development.

The North Branch runs along the border between the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and western Maryland.

Downstream Strategies, a Morgantown environmental consulting firm, released a report last month documenting local economic benefits from improving water quality in the river.

During the past 25 years, the North Branch changed from a river "you wouldn't even want to wade in" to a high quality fishery hosting naturally reproducing trout and bass, the report states.

Improvements came after eight "dosers" were installed in 1992. These facilities add alkaline chemicals to the North Branch and its tributaries to counteract acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines.

But ongoing remediation projects, initiated by Maryland state agencies, could be threatened within a few years if funding sources evaporate.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website - competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Study: fee boost could keep Md. trout river clean

OAKLAND, Md. (AP) - A study concludes that anglers and boaters are willing to pay more to keep the North Branch of the Potomac River running clean.

The $40,000 study by Downstream Strategies of Morgantown, W.Va., was delivered Friday to state regulators by the Maryland State Water Quality Advisory Committee.

Federal, state and Garrett County agencies ordered the report to address an expected loss of government operating funds for eight machines that regularly dispense lime into the river and its tributaries to counteract acid drainage from abandoned coal mines.

Researchers found that river users are willing to pay higher trout stamp fees or donate to a restoration fund to maintain the $321,000 annual cost of the lime dosers.

Read the full article here.


(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
OAKLAND, Md. (AP) - A study concludes that anglers and boaters are willing to pay more to keep the North Branch of the Potomac River running clean.

The $40,000 study by Downstream Strategies of Morgantown, W.Va., was delivered Friday to state regulators by the Maryland State Water Quality Advisory Committee.

Federal, state and Garrett County agencies ordered the report to address an expected loss of government operating funds for eight machines that regularly dispense lime into the river and its tributaries to counteract acid drainage from abandoned coal mines.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website - competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Fishermen are catching 8-foot sharks in the Potomac River

In fairness, these sharks are nowhere near the Garrett County areas of the Potomac, but I thought it was an interesting story to share:

By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 3, 2010; 12:07 AM

Willy Dean was on the Potomac River in a 22-foot skiff Tuesday morning when he realized there was something both abnormal and enormous in his net. It was a deadly 8-foot-1 bull shark, a 300-pound-plus killer that had likely been feasting on cownose rays at Cornfield Harbor, just off the shores of Point Lookout State Park.

Buh bump. Buh bump. Buh bump buhbump buhbump. . . .

"When I first seen it, it was like 'Jaws' -- we need a bigger boat!" Dean said Thursday. "I'm not kidding you. It looked huge. I didn't know how we were gonna get it out. It's my first shark. I've been fishing here a little over 30 years, and it's the first time I've even seen one."

But it wasn't even the only one caught on the river during what has apparently become Shark Week on the Potomac. Thomas Crowder, a commercial fisherman from St. Mary's County, said he and his crew were cutting a net near Tall Timbers on Wednesday when an even bigger bull shark was trapped. "He couldn't swim and breathe, and he drowned," Crowder said. "We kept saying for years that we wanted to catch a shark. . . . And Willy gets one, and then all of the sudden we get one. What are the odds? It's just bizarre."

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website - competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Dozens of paddlers make trip on Potomac River

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

— PAW PAW, W.Va. — Juanita Holland’s car broke down and sat smoking along Interstate 70, but not even that could deter her from her weekend plans.

Instead of turning back to her Hyattsville home, she asked the tow truck driver to haul her and the disabled vehicle from Hancock to the Town Creek Aqueduct along the Potomac River.

The aqueduct was the starting point for the 2010 Potomac River Ramble, a three-day, 25-mile sojourn through the Paw Paw Bends from Town Creek to Little Orleans. Holland said she was too excited about the trip to miss out when just 40 miles away.

“It takes a lot to get ready for a trip like this, and everything was set to have this window of time to get away,” Holland said. “I just wanted to be here so badly. ... I decided I’d worry about the car afterward.”

On Friday more than 40 paddlers from across Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania launched a flotilla of canoes and kayaks for the first leg of the journey.

It was a diverse crowd spanning experience levels, from first-timers to one man who’d already paddled 350 miles in 2010. But everyone had one thing in common — looking forward to three uninterrupted days of river recreation and camping.

“I’m not in charge. Time doesn’t matter,” said Ralph Bucca of Princess Anne. “It’s a good way to relieve stress.”

The event is held annually by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. Spokesman Curtis Dalpra said such outings help make people more aware of their connection to waterways and the impact their actions and lifestyles have on the environment.

“I think these kinds of events can really help people become better stewards of the river,” Dalpra said. “When they share time together, they start talking and thinking about what they can do.”

To that end, the group included several experts who gave talks and demonstrations on the river’s ecology, wildlife and local history throughout the trip.

Gear and guides for the trip were supplied by River and Trail Outfitters of Knoxville. Guide Mike Dudash has led the ICPRB excursion for about five years, and said he, too, sees it as a valuable educational opportunity.

“In the end this is my classroom to teach river ecology,” Dudash said. “Now all these people will care about the resource and want to do something about it.”

Wayne Anderson of New Creek, W.Va., recently retired, said he also goes out on the river on his own, but the organized group trips have their own appeal.

“The kayaking and the education,” he said.

But in the end, he enjoys being out on the Potomac now for the same reason he did in high school, when he and friends would “drag a johnboat down to Paw Paw” and float on down the river.

“It’s having a national treasure in your own back yard,” Anderson said.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350 Deep Creek Lake Info, Business Directories, Classified Ads, Events & more! Advertise on http://www.deepcreekalive.com/!

Casselman, Potomac River fishing

Mr. Neuland mentions fly fishing for trout in Garrett County, specifically the Casselman & Potomac Rivers. Garrett County is famous for its trout fishing streams & rivers. From the Frederick News Post:

Town Creek: The water was pristine
Originally published March 28, 2010

By Dan Neuland
Today's Sportsman

I HAVE LIVED in Maryland for more than 20 years and am ashamed to admit that I had never fished Town Creek until last year. For years, I have traveled I-68 through Allegany County on my way to fly fish the popular trout fisheries in Garrett County, driving right over Town Creek without stopping to sample the waters.
Last March, I took the opportunity to do a little early morning turkey scouting in Green Ridge State Forest, and combined the outing with some afternoon fly fishing in the delayed-harvest trout fishing area on Town Creek.

Before leaving home, I checked the Maryland Freshwater Sportfishing Guide online for information on tackle restrictions and printed the driving directions from the Department of Natural Resources website.

Like the other delayed harvest areas in western Maryland, such as the Casselman River and the North Branch of the Potomac River, Town Creek is managed as catch and release with artificial lures or flies only restrictions in the fall, late winter and throughout the spring.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

NRP Warns That Upper Potomac Should Be Avoided

NRP Warns That Upper Potomac Should Be Avoided


Mar. 25, 2010

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) has announced that boating and other recreational use of the Upper Potomac River, including its creeks and streams, should continue to be avoided based on information received from the National Weather Service and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). This advisory has been extended through tomorrow, Friday, March 26, and will be updated next week if necessary.
Because of recent precipitation, river levels are hazardous for recreational use on the entire main stem of the Uppor Potomac River from Kitzmiller to Little Falls. Hazardous stages are water levels which pose a threat to non-white-water vessels, tubers, swimmers, and other recreational users and are caused by wave action, water velocity, and treacherous currents. This condition may exist on tributaries of the Potomac as well.

This warning does not apply to professionally guided river trips. The public is reminded that river travel involves risks. Water and boating safety should be practiced always. The Maryland NRP reminds boaters to always wear a life jacket. It is mandatory to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while boating on the Potomac from Nov. 15 to May 15 each year.

For more information on current river conditions, persons may contact the National Weather Service at 703-996-2200.


If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350