April 2nd, 2019

 

   Maryland has a new state park! Wolf Den Run State Park opened in Kitzmiller in Garrett County last November. I had the opportunity to talk with members of the Department of Natural Resources, who are responsible for the park’s creation and administration. This interview will be split into 3 articles. In this third installment, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chief Ecologist of Western Maryland and I talk about ecosystems and wildlife within the park.

 

   Invasive species such as Ash Borer Beatles have been a concern in Western Maryland recently, as well as snakehead fish farther down state. Does Wolf Den face any environmental threats, either natural or man-made?
The soil and groundwater are already polluted from acid mine drainage. This whole region of Maryland and West Virginia was coal-centric, and we’re still feeling the effects of pollutants a century later. We’ve started to place limestone filters throughout the park to purify water. Our earliest research showed that water control is a problem on the existing trails. Preventing erosion will be key to the park’s success. It’s especially problematic because any erosion out here flows into the Potomac, which this far north contains fragile species like trout. In terms of invasive species, bugs and insects are always a risk from firewood transported in from out of state.

 

   Have the mining effects had an impact on wildlife in the park?

Surprisingly, not as much as I originally anticipated. Brook trout are known for the specificity of the water they live in, only being able to naturally reproduce in the cleanest streams out here. Interestingly, we found that brook trout actually slightly prefer acidic waters, so we have a sustainable brook trout population.

 

   What kinds of wildlife can visitors hope to find here that may be rarer elsewhere in the state?
We’ve only got in-depth on Parcel A, and we’ve already found a lot. As is the case for most of Western Maryland, there are lots of black bears here, so trail users should look out. Garrett and Allegany Counties are home to many state endangered salamander species that we’ve found here, specifically green and Wehrle’s salamanders. We also have seen a few coal skinks (an endangered lizard species). We even saw tracks of a porcupine, which haven’t been seen in Garrett County for decades until recently, so we’re excited on that front. The park has many large rock features that indicate the presence of rare rodent species, like the Allegheny wood rat and Appalachian cottontail (a rare rabbit species different than the typical backyard rabbit). I’ve also seen southern water shrews, long-tailed shrews, and rock voles. This is the northernmost place rock voles have been observed. There are some rare beetle species thought to be gone from Western Maryland, but it seems that because the vehicles kept the trails loose and sometimes sandy, the beetles have been able to survive. We also see more bobcats here than most of the state. We found a population of butterflies only thought to be found on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

 

   You’ve probably explored the property more frequently than anyone else. Can you give us a feel for the topography of the land?
Close to the river, the mountain is incredibly steep, rising for hundreds of feet. At the top it flattens out with rolling ridge lines. There are steep-sided gorges for small creeks and seasonal streams like Wolf Den Run. Some areas less touched by ORV trails have massive boulders with fissures and gorges diving deep into some caves. We have a small-footed bat population living here and this area is of particular ecological importance. You can see on any topographical map where they were mining for coal in what we call bench-cuts. The elevation lines are close together where the mountain rises quickly, then one line is much farther apart before the close lines continue. This is where they mined out the coal seam. It looks like a chunk is missing from the mountainside.

 

   Lastly, are there any unique ecosystems in the new park?

There are vernal pools everywhere, allowing for a greater diversity of amphibian species. There are some high altitude shrub swamps that we are keeping the locations secret of because they require further study. Shrub swamps like these used to be common until the mid-1850s, so finding some today gives us a valuable glimpse into the county’s past.

 

   A link to maps of the park as well as planned development can be found here: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Documents/WolfDenRun_OHVAssessment.pdf

     

    March 26th, 2019

    

    Maryland has a new state park! Wolf Den Run State Park opened in Kitzmiller in Garrett County last November. I had the opportunity to talk with members of the Department of Natural Resources, who are responsible for the park’s creation and administration. This interview will be split into 3 articles. In this second one, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Director of Trail Management and I talk about what visitors can expect from the park.

 

I last spoke with the Director of Park Planning, who said that the park’s main recreational opportunity is off-road vehicles. Is this the case?

All visitors are welcome at Wolf Den, but the infrastructure already in place is ORV trails. These trails were here before we bought the land, and we will continue to add recreational opportunities.

 

As the Director of Trail Management, how are you managing the trails already in place?

The current trails are both a blessing and a problem. If you look at a map or a Google Satellite view, you can see tons of the trails are short, pointless connector trails, or spurs off other trails that don’t lead anywhere. There’s probably too much trail right now, so my next task is evaluating each one to see which ones are worth managing and which ones we’ll let the forest reclaim.

 

What has been the public response to amenities in the park at this event today?

This event has been great for getting feedback. When we work on parks or create new ones, like this, we strive to incorporate public opinion. I’ve seen three main things today. First, people want both ORV trails and single-track trails (smaller trails used for mountain biking). This is something we will continue to evaluate. Second, the main concerns of locals so far has been balancing hunting with ORVs. I think locals who don’t use ORVs are concerned over increased traffic in the area. Third, there have been more than a few people asking for, I’ll call them “larger scale” amenities, like cabins, beaches, and even a cellphone tower.

 

How does the DNR plan to address public response?

Well I can tell you we won’t be getting a cellphone tower! The beach won’t be coming either, the Potomac is too rocky and fast-flowing up here. This park will be low impact in terms of what we do to develop it. As for hunting and ORVs, we will try to maintain a healthy balance. 

I think the most likely amenity you’ll see us build are trail signage and parking lots. 

 

Even if the primary focus is ORVs, what other recreational opportunities does the park offer?

This part of the state has some of the rarest wildlife, most of it found nowhere else in Maryland. We’re currently gauging input in camping facilities. We’ve cleared 15 miles of hiking trail and are currently mapping it. Brook trout are present in the park, both in small streams like Wolf Den Run and where the park borders the Potomac River, but access in terms of carrying in equipment may be difficult.

 

Are there any special hunting regulations in the park?

We plan on hunting and ORVing, but one thing you can’t do is hunt FROM an ORV. You can use them to access sites but may not discharge a firearm from one. In the 2018-19 season, the park is only open to deer hunting. The Strategic Management Process will be conducted over the summer and regulations may change for the 2019-20 season.

 

What is the current state of park access?

Yeah, that’s a problem. We have three parcels of land each with their own entrance, and two of them have bridges that have been at least temporarily shut down. We’re working to get them up by the spring of 2019.

 

With so many activities occurring on the same trails, how does the DNR plan to emphasize safety here?

For hunting, hey, it’s hunting. Know the regulations. Luckily we’ve partnered with a Maryland interest group dedicated to ORVs and we’re working on safety, future plans, and environmental conservation with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 19th, 2019

 

Maryland has a new state park! Wolf Den Run State Park opened in Kitzmiller in Garrett County last November. I had the opportunity to talk with members of the Department of Natural Resources, who are responsible for the park’s creation and administration. This interview will be split into 3 articles. In this first one, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Director of Park Planning and I talk about the park’s history, formation, and future intentions.

 

So a new state park! Can you tell us a little bit about where we are?

Exciting, right? Wolf Den is in Kitzmiller, Garrett County east of Oakland. The park is divided into three parcels that can also be easily accessed from West Virginia.

 

We’re in one the more secluded areas of the state, why did the DNR choose this spot to build a new park?

This land was already being used for our primary goal, which is to provide more trails for off-road vehicles (ORVs). This spot was already a sort of local hot-spot for ORVing, so we’re really just taking advantage of what was already here.

 

So the focus is on ORVs?

Hiking and hunting are allowed but we expect ORVs to be the main draw. We also think that this will incorporate more locals into the state system for outdoor recreation.

 

You mentioned that the land was already being used for ORVs, can you provide some history on this property?

So this whole region was dominated by coal mines until the early 20th century, and this property was no different. When the mine closed they left a lot of pollution behind, making the soil and groundwater very contaminated. The property owners couldn’t farm it, so they stared running their ORVs on it until some locals joined in and they had their own trails. We really wanted to find some new land for ORVs because Maryland’s opportunities for them have dried up. We had trails in Green Ridge  and Pocomoke State Forests, but they became unsafe and unmaintained until we had to close them. Annapolis green lighted our idea, and here we are.

 

Can you explain the pollution bit again? What impact did that have on the park today?

The park is safe, but the water is contaminated with mostly acids left in mines. They’ve leached into the soil. Today we are spearheading new testing for how to clean up abandoned mines, something we’re really excited about.

 

Are you concerned about the park being distant from cities or Deep Creek Lake, spots that Maryland state parks typically draw from.

We’re hoping some visitors will come down here, and we’re the only public trails in the state now, so we think we’ll have visitors. But with the locals already ORVing here, we expect this park to be more locally dominated.

 

Recently, Western Maryland and especially the area around Kitzmillerhas been a center of debate for new energy sources. Most of the ridge lines have windmills now, and fracking was recently banned for at least a few years. Do you see alternative energy as something that could impact the park?

We were not going to buy this land without getting the mineral rights first. This land has seen enough pollution already! In terms of windmills, yes, there are more around here there anywhere else in Maryland. But our land is not conducive to it. 

 

Look forward 50 years, what do you envision the park looking like?

We want to keep development small. This is a park where the trails are the focus. Western Maryland already has parks designed to accommodate large groups of people for multiple days, like Rocky Gap and Deep Creek Lake State Park. We’re really excited to be here because while we will focus on ORVs, which can be destructive unless properly maintained, we are also watching cleanup in action with the mines. We’ll be testing new ideas here. We’re fortunate to have special opportunities with this land and the future looks bright!.