Catoctin Group
The Catoctin Group encompasses Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties in Maryland. The geography of the region and the area these counties cover offers a plethora of opportunities to explore nature. But it presents a challenge to organizing our over 1,000 members, as it can take up to an hour to travel from Carroll and Washington counties to Frederick city, our historically central meeting place.
Carroll County
Carroll County lies in the Piedmont region of north-central Maryland between Baltimore and Frederick counties. Just under 456 square miles, it is about 27 miles in length and width at its greatest dimensions. Its elevations range from 300 feet above sea level in the southeast to 1,080 feet in the northeast. Home to forests, farms and wetlands, Carroll County sits in two major drainage basins: The Monocacy River to the west, which flows into the Potomac River, and the Patapsco or Gunpowder rivers to the east and south, all of which lead to the Cheasapeake Bay. Bear Branch and Piney Run nature centers and Morgan Run, a designated wild lands area, offer many recreational opportunities to the counties 168,541 of residents.
Frederick County
Bordered by the Potomac River and Pennsylvania, Frederick County is a transition county from the Piedmont in the east to the first ridges of the Appalachians and continuing west. Rolling hills of mostly farmland and small communities dominate the east. The county boasts a population of 220,000 residents. At the center is Frederick city, Maryland’s second largest city with about 59,000 inhabitants. To the west and north are the Catoctin Mountains, which are protected by Gambrill State Park, the Frederick Watershed, Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain National park. These parks offer numerous hiking trails, including the 28-mile Catoctin Trail, the longest in the region. Fifty-eight miles of the Monocacy River, nearly its entire length, is in Frederick County and is navigable when water levels are sufficient. The C&O Canal National Park parallels the Potomac River through the county, and the old C&O towpath has been preserved as a hiking and biking trail.
Washington County
The South Mountain ridgeline forms the border between Frederick and Washington counties. The Appalachian Trail winds its 40 miles through Maryland along this ridgeline.
Environmental Challenges
The greatest environmental challenges these counties face are population growth and suburban sprawl due to the spread east and north of the greater Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. As predominately agricultural counties, none have been designed for commuting: there is very little mass transit and planning processes have lacked vision. While there are many excellent recreational walking and biking trails, none were designed to be practical alternatives to driving. The water supply is also strained, and in some areas polluted, and the air pollution across the counties has been getting worse.
Catoctin Group Action and Activity
The Catoctin Group has been very active in working with and supporting other grass roots groups to help address these issues in an intelligent and environmentally sound way.
We organize a variety of informational gatherings throughout the year and recently launched Cool Cities campaigns in Carroll and Frederick counties. We are currently working to do more programs in Washington County.
Turn your interest into action
Currently, we are a five-member executive committee (excom) elected to two-year terms. However, we have lots of room to grow and would welcome more help. If you live in Carroll, Frederick or Washington counties, please consider volunteering for a seat on the excom. We especially need people interested in chairing our conservation and political committees and putting out a newsletter. If this level of engagement is out of the question, but you’d like to get more involved, consider helping us organize a program, join the Cool Cities initiatives, lead a a hike or just join a hike or attend a film or social and get to know us.
For more information or to get involved, contact us! We hope to hear from you soon.
Carroll County
Dan Andrews
Cool Cities Westminster
Energy issues/Chairman of Catoctin group
dooze@qis.net
410-857-4129
Frederick County
Ken Eidel
Treasurer
Cool Cities Frederick
kceidel@comcast.net
301-696-5933
Lew Sherman
Conservation Chair
lewsherm@comcast.net
301-898-7910
Amy Andrews
Secretary
lennonfan4ever@hotmail.com
410-857-4129
Karen Moody-Springer
Outings Chair
Carolyn Puckett
cpuck@comcast.net
Jessica Renner
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CATOCTIN GROUP ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
2012 Calendar:
The "Meatless Monday" campaign wants consumers to know that livestock production accounts for one-fifth of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and is also a major factor in forest and habitat loss, freshwater depletion, pollution and human health problems. The average American eats eight ounces of meat a day - 45 percent more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended amount.
NEXT EXCOM MEETING:
Saturday, April 7th 2012
Downtown Frederick library Artz 9A.M.to 12:15 P.M.
Common Market in Frederick, Maryland
Evergreen Square shopping center
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Upcoming Hikes:
Saturday May 12 ? 11 am -3 pm ? Appalachian Trail - Annapolis Rocks
hike (Boonesboro, MD) ? 5 mile, moderate. Meet at Rt. 40 trailhead
parking lot. See
<http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for more
information. Contact Karen Moody ( <mailto:karen.moody@mdsierra.org>
karen.moody@mdsierra.org) to register.
Saturday June 9 ? 11 am ? 3 pm ? Piney Run kayak/canoe trip
(Sykesville, MD). Easy. Park fee. Boats available for rent. Meet at
boathouse. See
<http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for more
information. Contact Karen Moody ( <mailto:karen.moody@mdsierra.org>
karen.moody@mdsierra.org) to register.
Saturday July 14 ? 11 am ? 3 pm ? Paw Paw Tunnel C&O hike (Allegany
Co., MD). 4 mile, easy. Meet at Paw Paw Tunnel Parking area on MD 51.
See <http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for more
information. Contact Karen Moody ( <mailto:karen.moody@mdsierra.org>
karen.moody@mdsierra.org) to register.
Saturday August 18 ? 11 am ? 2 pm. Bear Branch yellow trail hike
(Westminster, MD). 4 mile, easy. Meet at Bear Branch Nature Center.
See <http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for more
information. Contact Karen Moody ( <mailto:karen.moody@mdsierra.org>
karen.moody@mdsierra.org) to register.
Saturday, Sept. 8 ? 11 am ? 2 pm. Penn Mar Park hike. Details to be
determined. See
<http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for more
information. Contact Karen Moody ( <mailto:karen.moody@mdsierra.org>
karen.moody@mdsierra.org) to register.
Please see
<http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp>
http://maryland.sierraclub.org/events/ActivitySearch.asp for outings
additional to these listed.
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