Strange But True | Eastern Shore Dec 09
Tuckahoe’s Roots
The release of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea made us wonder: What are the stories behind some of our treasured state and local parks? Their existence is so innate to most of us that we typically don’t consider the fact they weren’t always protected areas. Tuckahoe State Park, for instance, was created in part through the generosity of the Dean families of Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties, who deeded their farmlands to the State of Maryland in the 1960s. More than 80,000 people now visit each year, according to ranger John Ohler. A stream-and-valley park encompassing 4,000 acres, with Tuckahoe Creek running the length and creating the border between Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties, Tuckahoe State Park boasts nearly 20 miles of scenic trails and a campground that hosts approximately 16,000 guests annually. Caroline County Commissioner Charles T. Dean and Senator Robert O. Dean were among the community leaders who were instrumental in establishing the park, and a recently installed sign recognizes their efforts.
More Spat than Ever Before!
The oyster population has been given a boost. In 2009, thanks to the efforts of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and its Horn Point Laboratory, as well as the nonprofit Oyster Recovery Partnership, 750 million hatchery-created baby oysters were placed in rivers that feed our Bay. That’s a new record for Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration—and more oysters are slated to come. “Recent investments by the state have set the stage for UMCES to more than double hatchery production over the next few years,” says UMCES President Dr. Donald F. Boesch. “Once construction of the new oyster-setting facility is completed next year, we hope to be able to produce up to two billion oyster spat a year,” he adds. Private citizens are also helping restoration efforts. Marylanders Grow Oysters, a citizen stewardship program, also expanded this year. This fall, waterfront property owners grew oyster spat in more than 5,000 cages in 12 Bay tributaries. The cages were built by Maryland inmates as part of a program created for the Tred Avon River and launched by Governor O’Malley last year. Next summer, the one-year-old oysters will be planted in local sanctuaries.
A Cambridge Mural of, for, and by its Community
Led by artists Willy Schlossbach, Deborah Coffin Kennedy, and Jen Wagner, hundreds of volunteers coordinated their efforts to create The Mural at Cannery Way on the side of the Hunt Insurance Building at 436 Race Street in Cambridge. The mural reflects the history and culture of not only Cambridge, but Dorchester County as a whole, with depictions of Native Americans, farmers, musicians, watermen, wildlife, and a log canoe. A mosaic rendering of the Choptank River runs through the piece, which was created in four sections. Schlossbach and Kennedy did most of the painting, while volunteers added the pieces of colored glass that fit together to form a collective representation of the mighty Choptank. “We spoke with many longtime local residents as we worked on the mural, and were able to relive some of the county’s history through their eyes,” says Wagner. “Our dedication ceremony in October was our chance to present the mural and give it to the people of Dorchester County, who inspired us to create a beautiful, lasting homage to their land, their loves, and their lives.”
Tour Guide 2.0
File friendly tour guides alongside neighborhood milkmen, switchboard operators, bootleggers, and lighthouse keepers. Not really—at least not yet, but a new self-guided tour initiated by Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience certainly makes the art of walking backwards—through a museum, across campus, or in an otherwise noteworthy location—while reciting interesting facts a lot less marketable. The audio tour, titled “History of the Waterfront: A Journey into Chestertown’s Past,” uses iPods to take prospective students, visitors, and local residents on an 18-stop, one-hour tour through the college’s customs house and along the Chester River. Topics broached include the story of the Chestertown Tea Party, events in the slave trade and Revolutionary War, and profiles of some of the town’s historically significant residents. The tour, which is the brainchild of Adam Goodheart, the Starr Center’s director, and project leader Jill Titus, is available on Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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