LIVE BLOG: County Presents Findings on Watershed Studies

County officials met with community members Wednesday at Oregon Ridge to present findings from studies on the Oregon Branch, Baisman Run and Beaverdam Run watersheds. 

Rachel Streusend, a representative from the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, was also on hand to speak with the community members before and after the meeting. 

This was the second of three community meetings to create a Small Watershed Action Plan. 

The third meeting, which will take place in the fall, will focus on the final SWAP plan and what you can do at work, home or school to improve water quality. 

8:30 p.m. Erin Wisnieski, also of the EPS, delivered closing remarks and invited audience members to complete a survey asking them to prioritize environment friendly practices. She also encouraged the audience to attend a June 8 field trip touring Oregon Ridge. The tour will run from 6 to 8 p.m. 

At the end of the meeting, the audience was still small. 

8:20 p.m. Dennis Genito of the EPS said the organization also documented fish communities at Oregon Branch, Baisman Run and Beaverdam Run. The jargon is confusing, but in general, Genito said native brook trout is restricted to Beaverdam Run and Baisman Run, brown trout is present throughout all three small watersheds and the stream habitat is good west of I-83 and on upstream tributaries. The stream conditions are based on the conditions of the fish and benthos, organisms living on stream bottoms.

7:49 p.m. Outen said deer management and selective forest thinning is recommeded to reduce overcrowding and stimulate natural regeneration. He also said acorn surveys are being conducted to identify superior crop trees for regeneration. 

7: 38 p.m. Don Outen an EPS representative, said his organization conducted a forest health assessment for Oregon Ridge, which, at 1,043 acres, is the largest county park.

Outen said the findings, which include low species diversity, dying trees and lack of forest regeneration due to insufficient room for good tree growth and high deer populations, are troubling. 

7:12 p.m. Schneider also offers environment friendly tips to practice at home including tree planting and fertilizer reduction. 

7:05 p.m. Julie Schneider, a representative from the Center for Watershed Protection, provides the results of an upland and stream assessment.

Although the streams are in good condition, Schneider said, some problems include altered stream sections, erosion, fish migration barriers and inadequate stream buffers. 

She said another issue is high levels of chloride in Oregon Branch, and parts of Baisman Run and Beaverdam Run. Oregon Branch also has high levels of E. Coli bacteria. 

6:50 p.m. Nancy Pentz, an employee with the Baltimore County EPS, invites members of the audience and presenters to introduce themselves, and provides introductory remarks. So far, the crowd is sparse. 

Representatives from the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability and the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy are meeting with community members at the Oregon Ridge Auditorium Wednesday as part of an initiative to develop a Small Watershed Action Plan for the Beaverdam Run, Baisman Run and Oregon Branch watersheds. 

On the agenda for this meeting are discussions on the prioritization of restoration options and research on the watershed’s fish, forest health and water quality.