Falls Park

"Pure escapism," says Mike Eraugh, 46, of Jerusalem Mill and village in Gunpowder Falls State Park. The Department of Health supervisor from Harford County says he visits the historic site to tend the garden of cabbages, horseradish, herbs and more, and to make deer stew over an open fire for volunteers. He relives a happy outdoor childhood experience with his family on the quiet, shaded banks of the Little Gunpowder Falls in the restored gun factory behind the mill in Harford County. At day's end, volunteers dressed in Colonial-period cotton garb, sit and talk.

Thigh-high soybean plants scour the undercarriage of Dave Rose's red Toyota pickup as he drives it through a lush field that he rents from the Gunpowder Falls State Park near Jacksonville.But as the truck rolls over the crest of a hill and down toward the woods, the rustling beneath the truck stops. The long rows of soybean plants are only ankle-deep here, much of it too short to harvest. More isolated fields are almost entirely shorn, and overtaken by grass and briars.Surveying acres of clipped plants, Rose says, "It makes you think . . . that I've done something wrong."

An affiliate of the National Aquarium plans to start an environmental cleanup of nearly 13 acres along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River this fall and open a public park late next year, but has put on hold more elaborate plans to build an animal care facility. The aquarium's Center for Aquatic Life and Conservation Inc. said today it is seeking a contractor to clean up its contaminated waterfront property in South Baltimore, along Baltimore's lesser-known harbor. The two-phase project will create a park with walking trails, some of which will connect to the Gwynns Falls trail, a 100-foot fishing pier and some wooded areas, said Tim Pula, the aquarium's senior director of capital planning.

It wasn't chemistry that brought together Corinne Parks and Lloyd Tydings, but entomology.The friends not only see eye to eye with each other, but with New Guinea stick insects, fuzzy tarantulas, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and other esteemed members of the phylum Arthropoda, which includes all invertebrates with jointed limbs, segmented bodies and exoskeletons.Neither Parks nor Tydings thinks twice about clutching creepy crawlies or keeping black widows as pets. But when an Australian stick insect lays a seed-like egg from its pyracantha perch, the "two bugs in a rug" are thrilled to pieces.

Karla Nitz and her three children were whiling away a sunny summer afternoon, clambering across the rocks lining Gunpowder Falls in search of acorns and frogs. That's when they were approached by strangers on horseback.Within minutes, Nitz had been handed a map of woodland trails, and Karis, the Bel Air woman's 8-year-old daughter, was petting one of the horses.Score another point for customer relations for Gunpowder Falls State Park's fledgling Volunteer Mounted Patrol.Since last month, a small group of horse lovers has been saddling up for excursions on the more than 100 miles of trails in Maryland's largest park.

A man who was discovered lying on a West Baltimore street early yesterday had been shot at least twice, a spokeswoman for the city Police Department said. Officers responding to a passing driver's call at 12:15 a.m. found the man lying in the 4500 block of Bonner Road, north of Gwynns Falls Park. Emergency medical personnel declared the man dead at the scene about 10 minutes later, the spokeswoman said.

The National Park Service says some boat ramps and campgrounds along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal remain closed by debris from Potomac River flooding early in the week. Rangers said Friday that nine boat ramps from Spring Gap in Allegany County to Edward's Ferry in Montgomery County are closed. The Antietam Creek and McCoy's Ferry campgrounds are also closed, along with the Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls. Park visitors should expect rough conditions along much of the towpath. - Associated Press

MONKTON -- The Friends of Tourette Syndrome Research are sponsoring a walk-a-thon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Gunpowder Falls State Park on the Northern Central Railroad Trail to generate funds for Tourette Syndrome research at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. Information: Joe Giuliano, 614-4869.Pub Date: 4/26/96

Spring is a time for new beginnings, and that includes new hobbies. As the air gets warmer and the days last longer, it's the perfect time to try out a new outdoor sport. The Baltimore region offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun, from biking to paddleboarding. Thanks to local retailers that rent sporting equipment, budding outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen can try out new hobbies without investing too much money. Gary Weeden, of Annapolis boat and bike rental shop Paddle or Pedal, likens renting to test-driving a car. "Before you spend your money, this is a great way to try things out. Like with cars: Before you buy, rent and say, 'This is what I like and don't like.' " "If someone hasn't been on a bicycle for a while, and they're not sure of the type of bike they'll want to purchase, we offer several types they can try out at low cost," adds Jim White of Monkton Bikes.

On a hot summer day, Big Gunpowder Falls beckons and thousands answer the call: anglers, swimmers, kayakers and picnickers. The Gunpowder also speaks to Gary Kloch, who hears cash registers each time a customer pays $20 to $35 for a red-and-yellow tube and shuttle to the water's edge for a refreshing three-hour float downstream. Maryland Natural Resources Police say what he's doing is illegal - using a state park to drop tubers off and stash a stack of inflatables - and have ticketed him three times since Friday.