Deer Creek

Ask Amy Pickwick to take a hike, and this lifelong outdoor enthusiast will gladly oblige - especially in Maryland during the fall. While the founder and president of the Maryland Outdoor Club treks countless miles along state trails year-round, a fall hike, she says, is something exceptional: crisp air, a color palette of changing foliage, and, generally, fewer "crowds" on trails. "We do a lot of fall hikes," says Pickwick, 28, a Frederick native whose 3-year-old, Columbia-based hiking club has 3,000 registered members.

1964: COAT OF ARMS The Harford County coat of arms was designed by George Van Bibber and adopted by the County Commissioners on Sept. 28, 1964. The shield in the design is gold, which symbolizes the wealth of the county and the richness of its fields. Across the shield are waving bands of blue signifying three major Harford streams - Deer Creek, Bynum Run and Winters Run. The crest is a two-handed forearm with the right hand holding a white quill symbolizing the pen used by those who wrote and signed the Bush Declaration, which supported independence and was signed by Harford residents.

The state's top environmental official predicted that it's a matter of time until Aberdeen wins its fight to tap into Deer Creek for its drinking water, a debate the official characterized as solid science vs. environmental emotionalism. "We're going to make our decision here based on science and not on feelings," Secretary of the Environment Kendl P. Philbrick said Friday. "Science supports that Aberdeen's plan will have no adverse impact on the stream. I'm optimistic that my fellow commissioners will see it my way," he said.

The state's top environmental official predicted that it is a matter of time until the city of Aberdeen wins its fight to tap into Deer Creek for its drinking water, a debate the official characterized as solid science vs. environmental emotionalism. "We're going to make our decision here based on science and not on feelings," said State Secretary of the Environment Kendl P. Philbrick. "Science supports that Aberdeen's plan will have no adverse impact on the stream. I'm optimistic that my fellow commissioners will see it my way," he said.

Aberdeen is one bureaucratic hurdle away from tapping Deer Creek for its drinking water and overcoming a united front by farmers and conservationists. To move ahead with its plans, the city needs to win approval by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission in a Dec. 15 meeting. Barring any delays, the vote would decide a years-long debate over the 50-mile stream, which runs through the hilly terrain of northern Harford County and empties into the Susquehanna. At issue is whether Aberdeen can pump up to 4.9 million gallons a day for the city's 5,000 water customers.

Department offers tips to motorists on avoiding deer The Wildlife and Heritage Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has advised area motorists to be alert for deer crossing roads and highways through next month. Statistics released by the department estimate that there are 265,000 white-tail deer in Maryland. The department offered motorists these tips to improve the odds of avoiding a deer. A deer standing near the road may suddenly leap onto the road. Slow down and sound your horn to try to scare the deer away from the road.

PORT DEPOSIT - Mike Flanagan of the Baltimore Orioles will recall the fine spring day he and I were standing in Deer Creek, about a mile from its mouth at the Susquehanna River, fixated on shad, when the rushing, gurgling water around us went suddenly silent. It was an odd moment - as if someone had shut off a spigot - and dramatic enough for both of us to stop waving our fishing sticks and look down. Indeed, no one had shut off a spigot. Just the opposite was true. The rocks we had been fishing from, gray and dry when we'd waded 30 yards to reach them, had disappeared, and now water was rising up to our knees.

John W. Grier - a well-known Harford County nurseryman who liked to relax on an island in the Susquehanna River when he wasn't tending his trees, shrubs and plants - died of lung cancer Tuesday at his home in Street. He was 79. Mr. Grier was born, raised and spent his entire life on Grier Nursery Road, which was named after Grier Nurseries, the business established by his father and an uncle in 1908. "He never left Deer Creek Valley. He was born in a bungalow and then moved across the street when he founded his own nursery," said his wife of 53 years, the former Louise Hess, who also worked in the business.

In the debate over whether Aberdeen should get permission to draw water from Deer Creek for municipal use, the Army expects to benefit from significantly lower water utility costs if regulators grant the permit. APG's water service costs have more than doubled since 2000, when the city took over Aberdeen Proving Ground's aging water system. The reason for the increase is that the Army is the sole customer on the Deer Creek system, which has required millions of dollars in infrastructure repairs to meet state and federal environmental standards.