Harford Glen

On Dec. 7, 1854, Maj. Henry Hall died. From 1835 until his death, Hall owned 145 acres and a farmhouse now called Harford Glen. Hall was a prominent citizen. Records show that in 1812 he was commissioned captain of the Light Dragoons, Maryland Militia. In 1824 he is mentioned as commander of the 1st Harford Troop of Horse, and in 1826, Hall is recorded as a member of the General Assembly. Construction of the Harford Glen house probably began between 1815 and 1820. In about 1835, Hall added a stylish north wing, after which many of the extant agricultural outbuildings were constructed.

The group of about 125 elementary school children gathered at Harford Glen Environmental Education Center for a firsthand look at how the earth is formed. They spent the school day outdoors testing the water, measuring contour lines and learning about land forms. "Throughout the day, the children had a chance to see that science is not just in the classroom," said Pamela Lottero-Perdue, an assistant professor of science education at Towson University. "There is a big push for 'No Child Left Inside.

The Harford County school board has voted to leave the controversial Harford Glen residential environmental program intact, but it is giving parents the right to choose an option.Shirley Doud of Jarrettsville, who objected to the overnight program, said "it's wonderful. Both sides kind of worked together."The Harford Glen controversy had been brewing for almost two years, since a group of parents opposed their children spending the night during the five-day program for fifth-grade students.

Bundled in warm clothes, 13 Edgewood High School ninth-graders recently spent their school day on a boat on the Chesapeake Bay. For five hours, the students learned about how they affect the bay. "We want the kids to make the connection, not just between the land and the water, but the water and the way we treat the land," said John Tapscott, an educator with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The 13 students were part of a three-week program called "A Day on the Chesapeake Bay." It operates under the auspices of the foundation and was opened to ninth- and 10th-grade biology students at the county's public high schools.

Standing beside a black locust tree, Kit Brown saw the makings of a tasty meal."There is a real, honest-to-goodness supermarket of food around this tree," Brown said as she stopped along a trail at the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center east of Bel Air.The 57-year-old Bel Air resident led the first public nature walk through part of the 300-acre center Tuesday, pointing to the many wonders of nature -- including some that are edible.Brown noted that the tree's blossoms are a flavorful ingredient in fritters, and elderberries from a bush surrounding the tree make good wines, pies and jellies.

Barbara Bilsborough firmly held a small red cardinal that she plucked moments earlier from a net strung across a small clearing in the woods encircling Harford Glen Park."

For almost two decades, Jack Shagena has volunteered at Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. During that time, he helped start the Harford Glen Foundation and built three bridges, a log cabin and picnic tables. "I got involved at Harford Glen because I felt the outdoor education was very important for fifth-graders to learn about the environment," Shagena said. Recently Shagena took his interest to the next level when he completed Harford Glen: An Outdoor Classroom & Preserve, a history about the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center and a fundraiser for the Harford Glen Foundation.

At Harford Glen outdoor education center, fifth-graders tramp through the forest looking for salamanders. They sneak up on sunbathing turtles. They fashion mini-beaver dams out of mud and sticks.Those are just a few of the experiences for Harford students when they come to the school system's outdoor education reserve.The park's 360 acres of forest, marshes and streams provide hands-on lessons in wildlife preservation, beaver ecology and more.But Harford Glen offers more than nature lessons.

While strolling the woods at the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center in November 2005, Frank Lopez noticed that the tops of the white pine trees looked unusually white. The scene was eerily familiar to Lopez, a project forester for the state. In the summer of 2005, he had been called in to help with a beetle infestation that destroyed 28 acres of white pines at Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. "Because I had dealt with it before, I knew it was a problem that needed to be identified quickly," said Lopez, who has worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources forest service for 19 years.

Ruth Wilsey Eisenhour Teacher Harford County public schools, Bel Air Salary --$70,000 a year Age: --41 Years on the job --19 How she got started --Eisenhour spent the first six years as a fifth-grade teacher for Harford County public schools. The past 13 years she has worked as an environmental educator with the system's Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. Typical day --Eisenhour works a regular school schedule starting in late August and ending in June. She begins her day at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. However, the center also has an overnight camp for fifth-graders 16 weeks out of the school year.

Trailing History from Forest to Glen On July 2, 1701, Capt. Thomas Clagett left 1,000 acres along Winters Run to three of his children, George, Charles and Martha. Along with portions of four other land tracts patented in the 1680s, Clagett's Forest is now part of Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. Captain Clagett was born in London about 1644 and arrived in southern Maryland between 1670 and 1672. Although Clagett was originally interested in purchasing land along larger waterways allowing shipping, he settled for inland property along a smaller creek that could provide power for a mill.

Students touched soil samples, tested water quality, identified tree species. The best of the state's Envirothon teams converged on Harford Glen Environmental Education Center last week to put their scientific knowledge to the test. The high school students from 19 Maryland counties were competing for the state championship. Harford Christian School, a Darlington-based private school, took the top prize Thursday after scoring 525 points out of 600. Harford Christian will represent the state for the 2008 Canon Envirothon, the national competition that will be held in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Pouring rain and cool temperatures didn't dampen the spirits of about 75 county high school students who were dressed in makeshift rain gear created from garbage bags or in ponchos. The teenagers sloshed through mud and water to complete a series of activities at the Harford County 4-H Camp in Street. They were there to identify water bugs and wildlife, to test the texture of soil, and determine the height of trees. "This is the only program that I know of offered to high school students in the county that takes kids out of the classroom and gets them into the dirt and the streams to learn," said Gary Davis, district manager of the Harford Soil Conservation District, which sponsors the program.

For almost two decades, Jack Shagena has volunteered at Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. During that time, he helped start the Harford Glen Foundation and built three bridges, a log cabin and picnic tables. "I got involved at Harford Glen because I felt the outdoor education was very important for fifth-graders to learn about the environment," Shagena said. Recently Shagena took his interest to the next level when he completed Harford Glen: An Outdoor Classroom & Preserve, a history about the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center and a fundraiser for the Harford Glen Foundation.

While strolling the woods at the Harford Glen Environmental Education Center in November 2005, Frank Lopez noticed that the tops of the white pine trees looked unusually white. The scene was eerily familiar to Lopez, a project forester for the state. In the summer of 2005, he had been called in to help with a beetle infestation that destroyed 28 acres of white pines at Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. "Because I had dealt with it before, I knew it was a problem that needed to be identified quickly," said Lopez, who has worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources forest service for 19 years.

Ruth Eisenhour opened the padlock on the top of a wooden structure, swiped away some ants on its ledge and slid down into the crate-like contraption. She squatted and lopped off a couple branches of the blooming turtlehead plant. "This is the host plant for the Baltimore checkerspot butterflies," she said, holding a flower in the palm of her hand. "They are becoming more and more scarce, which means the checkerspots have no place to lay their eggs. And therefore their population is decreasing."

The traditional week that Harford County fifth-graders spend at Harford Glen without computers, television sets and video games is becoming more rustic with the addition of a log cabin. Harford Glen is an outdoor education center in Bel Air. Part of Harford County public schools, Harford Glen provides the opportunity for fifth-graders to spend up to a week with their class, learning about ecology and the environment. The camp's staff of teachers and student counselors supervise the pupils.

Ruth Wilsey Eisenhour Teacher Harford County public schools, Bel Air Salary --$70,000 a year Age: --41 Years on the job --19 How she got started --Eisenhour spent the first six years as a fifth-grade teacher for Harford County public schools. The past 13 years she has worked as an environmental educator with the system's Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. Typical day --Eisenhour works a regular school schedule starting in late August and ending in June. She begins her day at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. However, the center also has an overnight camp for fifth-graders 16 weeks out of the school year.