>Hibernating bears present challenge for wildlife researchers
>
Allegany County den in hollow tree 30 feet off ground
Michael A. Sawyers
The Cumberland Times-News Sun Feb 13, 2011, 08:00 AM EST
MOUNT NEBO — Only one of the dozen bear dens Harry Spiker has identified for study this winter is in Allegany County and it is 30 feet off the ground inside a hollow red oak tree on the eastern side of Green Ridge State Forest.
“Besides that, there is a really steep drop-off beside the tree, so that may be a challenge for us,” Spiker said Thursday.
Spiker heads up bear management and research for the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service. Each March, crews hike, ski and crawl to check on radio-collared female bears that are hibernating with their recently born cubs.
“We know this sow has cubs because when Rande (Brown) found her (using the radio signal) he could hear the cubs inside the tree,” Spiker said.
This sow is the same bear the agency examined on St. Patrick’s Day in 2009. She weighed 208 pounds at that time and had three cubs with her in a ground den with an entrance about the size of a woodchuck.
“So far we are not aware of any of our bears denning under anybody’s porch,” Spiker said. He wasn’t kidding. It has happened before.
There is one den and inhabitants to be checked in Washington County and one in Frederick.
The Washington County bear is holed up atop Sideling Hill, and has never been den-checked before. The Frederick County bear, denned on private land, is known by the crews, who found her and her offspring in 2009 about 15 feet up a tree.
Sows give birth every other year.
The remaining dens, given away by the beep, beep of the radio collars, are in Garrett County.
“Some are in very rugged and remote locations,” Spiker said, audibly wincing at the thought of descending into Monroe Run to find, sedate and examine a sow and her cubs.
During this summer, a population survey of Maryland bears will take place. The most recent estimate was in 2006 when laboratory DNA tests of bear hair were extrapolated and the state declared the bruin population to be about 600.
“It is the same kind of study we have done in the past,” Spiker said, referring to the placement of bait stations surrounded by barbed wire. As the bruins approach the bait, their hairs get snagged. This year there will be 238 stations in Maryland’s four westernmost counties.
This will be the first time for Frederick and Washington counties to be surveyed.
“The methodology is 98 percent accurate,” Spiker said. “The lab work alone will cost more than $40,000. By the time you toss in staff time and materials we’re looking at $100,000.”
Crews will take one week to erect the bait stations. For the following five weeks, the stations will be visited weekly and bear hairs will be collected.
Results of the population survey will be used by the agency to set future bear hunting regulations.
Bear hunting returned to Maryland in 2004 following a half-century moratorium.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com
>Hearings' Outcomes Will Impact GC Commissioners' Power Over Turbines
>
Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
Feb. 10, 2011
Two public hearings have been scheduled that will have an “impending impact” on the Board of Garrett County Commissioners’ authority over the placement of potential wind turbines, county administrator Monty Pagenhardt announced on Tuesday.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing for Sen. George Edwards’ SB 252 on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. in Annapolis. The proposed legislation would give the Garrett County commissioners the authority to enact ordinances regarding setbacks and the decommissioning of commercial wind turbines.
The commissioners asked Edwards and Del. Wendell Beitzel in December to introduce the legislation in this year’s General Assembly session, which began last month.
Commission chair Gregan Crawford, Commissioner Bob Gatto, county administrator Monty Pagenhardt, and Director John Nelson, Garrett County Department of Planning and Land Development, plan to testify on the Board of Garrett County Commissioners’ support for this enabling legislation.
>Awarded Purple Heart In Afghanistan
>
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U.S. Army Spc. Ward Savage (left), an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) specialist from McHenry assigned to 2nd Platoon, 705th EOD Company at Ft. Polk, La., receives a Purple Heart Medal from U.S. Army Col. Bruce P. Antonia, commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division’s Task Force, on Jan. 31 at Forward Operating Base Shank, located in Logar Province, Afghanistan. Savage, who is attached to Task Force Patriot’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment’s Task Force Warrior, earned the medal for wounds he suffered during an armed enemy conflict in the Tangi Valley area of Wardak Province. Photo by U.S. Army Maj. Cecil Henry, Task Force Patriot public affairs officer.
>Lot 24 Bear Creek Forest - Reduced - GA7277805
>
LOT 24 BEAR CREEK FOREST
ACCIDENT, MD 21520
Private 4.5 acre building lot tucked away in Bear Creek Forest. Dead end street, low traffic area makes this the perfect secluded spot for your vacation cabin or full time residence. Driveway in place. Community common area offers access to Bear Creek Trout Stream. Only 15 minutes to Deep Creek Lake. Call today!
Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.
Listing # GA7277805
$43,900
>Planning a vacation? Think Western Maryland
>
Posted: 02/10/2011
Last Updated: 22 hours and 42 minutes ago
By: Charley Crowson
BALTIMORE – While many regions of the state get occasional spurts of snow, the Deep Creek Lake area in Western Maryland is the state’s true winter wonderland.
Since we can’t do anything about the cold weather, take a long weekend, and get out there and enjoy it.
Located just three hours from Baltimore, the resort offers a great chance for downhill and cross-country skiing, outdoor fun and a close getaway.
More here.
>Natural Gas Extraction Debate Heats Up at the State House
>Posted February 9, 2011
By Kerry Davis
Capital News Service
ANNAPOLIS — A bill that would effectively impose a hold on natural gas drilling in Western Maryland until further studies are completed will be introduced Thursday in the House of Delegates.
It follows an opposing bill filed Friday that aims to force the Maryland Department of the Environment to approve or deny permits for a type of natural gas drilling known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in Garrett County.
Four applications for fracking permits were filed in October 2009 by Samson Energy, which is now concentrating on one potential drill site in Garrett County. Those were the first permits for natural gas hydraulic fracturing ever filed in the state.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has not granted or denied those applications, citing potential environmental effects.
>2010 Year in Review - Real Estate Stats
>A further review of the 2010 Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake market statistics and how other brokers fared during 2010:
http://www.ilovedeepcreek.com/market_updates/2010-real-estate-stats.pdf
Railey Realty is #1 in Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake. We have the most comprehensive marketing plan and the best online presence – 2 essential ingredients to success when buying or selling real estate.
>Price reduced over $100k! 125 Jakes Dr-GA7346307
>Beautiful log home just minutes from the Wisp Resort and Deep Creek Lake. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, beautiful hard wood floors and more. Large rooms make this the perfect spot for family gatherings and getaways. Call Today!
Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.
>Railey Realty, Deep Creek Lake, Adopts A Cowboy
>
A mustang named Cowboy was recently running wild in the Grantsville area. Local farmers let Cowboy graze on their property, but when late fall arrived they became concerned for his welfare and contacted the Garrett County Humane Society.
Nancy Trotta at Railey Realty has a horse farm in the area and her contacts called and shared Cowboys story and possible fate. Nancy in turn contacted all the agents and staff in the Railey office and asked for help.
>Deep Creek Lake, M.D. - blueridgeoutdoors.com
>Awesome promo for the Deep Creek Lake area:
By Jedd Ferris • January 31, 2011
Set in the mountains of western Maryland and centered around the 3,900-acre namesake lake, Deep Creek is a tourist-driven Allegheny escape that refuses to compromise its wild character.
After stints at other regional resorts, Mike Valach, who runs ski and rider services at Wisp Ski Resort, found just what he needed in the area’s never-ending mountain sports opportunities.
“This is the recreation mecca,” says Valach. “There is something to do during every season of the year.”
Garrett County is an outdoor playground with rolling peaks, world-class rivers, wicked slopes, and 90,000 acres of public land in the nearby state forests and parks. There’s also a whitewater park above Wisp. When he’s craving a little more urban grit, Valach can be in Pittsburgh in two hours or Washington, D.C. in a little more than three.
“It never gets boring here,” he says. “When winter’s over, it’s time jump on your bike or paddleboard.”
