Lake Elkhorn

A 28-year-old Columbia woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted Monday morning while walking along Lake Elkhorn in the Village of Owen Brown has recanted her story, police said.The woman now says that she was assaulted but that the incident took place in Baltimore County with a man she describes as "a former acquaintence," police said.The case has been turned over to the Baltimore County Police Department.Earlier, the woman had told police she was attacked from behind on the pathway at 11 a.m. Monday.

Owen Brown village board member Walter Davidson took pictures of children crossing busy and winding Cradlerock Way on their way to Lake Elkhorn to emphasize the need for a safer route."

The Lake Elkhorn Festival has been troubled over the years by poor weather - so bad, in fact, that the event was canceled in 2003 and 2004. So few were surprised that one of Columbia's longest-running annual events began last Saturday under threatening skies. "It was typical and expected," said Ruth Bohse, Owen Brown village manager. "My husband said it was going to be good on Saturday and I said I didn't believe it." Owen Brown officials had decided to make this year's festival - its 33rd - the last one. Low attendance, the lack of volunteers and the loss of revenue all contributed to the decision.

Pearl Atkinson-Stewart, the Columbia Association's board representative for Owen Brown village, has for years pleaded with the association to start dredging Lake Elkhorn, the 37-acre manmade lake in her community. Lake Elkhorn and Lake Kittamaqundi, in Town Center, long have been overwhelmed by algae and sediment that threaten to turn them into marshland if left untouched. "I really wished they would go and get it completed because the more we wait, the more expensive it gets," Atkinson-Stewart said.

For people-watching, there is no better spot than Joe Caliguro's Columbia townhouse. He and his wife can walk out to the porch and find a stream of people walking by on the path below. Caliguro, a retired television producer, owns one of about 130 houses that border the nearly 2-mile public trail next to Lake Elkhorn. For the residents who live nearby, the man-made lake is also an extension of their backyards, providing picturesque views and lots of foot traffic just beyond their porches.

Lake Elkhorn in Columbia's Village of Owen Brown may be the perfect place to get away from it all. Mothers push their children in the swings on the playground and watch them play in the sandbox. Others jog with strollers on the walkways around the lake. Couples walk hand-in-hand and relax on one of the many benches. There may also be a canoe or two out on the water, sharing the lake with ducks, geese and swans. People come to enjoy the peaceful, secluded setting among the tall trees. Most are from Columbia, and many of them are fortunate enough to live within walking distance.

A fence or buffer at the Lake Elkhorn tot lot could be completed in time for this summer, a Columbia Association official said. Chick Rhodehamel, Columbia Association vice president for open-space management, declined to provide a more precise date for completion, but he said that association staff continues to investigate ways to safely enclose the playground, which is 160 feet from Lake Elkhorn. Alex Ferrera, a 23-month-old from Laurel, drowned Sept. 2 last year after wandering from the tot lot into the lake.

Responding to the drowning death of a toddler last month, the Columbia Association will hire a consultant to determine whether a fence at the Lake Elkhorn tot lot is the best solution to prevent another tragedy. After more than 90 minutes of discussion Monday night, which included testimony from teary-eyed parents, CA board members authorized up to $20,000 to hire the consultant to design a safety plan and up to $30,000 to build a fence if the consultant finds that is the best solution.

A plan to place a fence or natural buffer at the Lake Elkhorn tot lot has been approved by the Columbia Association board of directors. After angry parents denounced a report that concluded a fence was unnecessary, the board discussed the issue for more than an hour Thursday night, and then voted unanimously that something needed to be done. "I feel good about the decision," said Pearl Atkinson-Stewart, board member from Owen Brown, the location of the Lake Elkhorn tot lot where Alex Ferrera, a 23-month-old who lived in Laurel, drowned in September.

Walk in the woods -- The Howard County Forestry Board will sponsor a tree identification walking tour from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today at the Lake Elkhorn Arboretum in Columbia. Jim Rose and Betsy McMillion of the Howard County Forestry Board will conduct the tour and identify about 20 species of trees along the arboretum trail. Participants should meet at the Lake Elkhorn parking lot just off Cradlerock Way. Wear comfortable shoes and take binoculars, if available. Children to age 12 must be accompanied by an adult.