Loch Raven Reservoir

To hunt or not to hunt is no longer a question. The overabundant deer population in the forests around Loch Raven Reservoir will be culled by hunters for the first time this fall and winter, state and local officials said at a public meeting on the much-debated issue last night at Loch Raven High School. About 225 people filled the school auditorium to hear officials outline the new hunting policy, which animal rights activists have successfully blocked for years. The deer inhabit an area that can't support the current population, said Kurt Kocher, a spokesman for the Baltimore Department of Public Works.

The boat-fishing season on Loch Raven Reservoir begins Friday and runs through the end of November, the Baltimore Department of Public Works has announced. The fishing season at Liberty and Prettyboy reservoirs began March 1 and continues until Dec. 31. Boating in the reservoirs requires a permit, which is $60 a season. People who apply for a permit will receive a "2008 Pocket Guide to Boating and Fishing," which public works officials say gives details about more than 40 species of fish in the reservoirs.

In the latest response to the impact that months of dry weather have had on water supplies, Harford County will change the source of its water supply this week from Loch Raven Reservoir to the Susquehanna River. Residents should not notice any change in the quality or taste of their water but might see a slight increase in their quarterly bills, county officials said. Starting Tuesday, water will be diverted from the river through pumps at Deer Creek for the first time in almost six years.

An estimated 40,000 gallons of sewage overflowed from a broken line in Timonium before it was repaired late Sunday, according to county officials. The break in the 12-inch sewer line beneath East Padonia Road, between Quiet Stream Court and Sunnylake Place, was detected about 9 a.m. Sunday and was repaired by that night, according to Baltimore County officials. The county's Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management has posted signs advising residents to avoid contact with the waters of Merryman Branch, a tributary of Loch Raven Reservoir.

In Baltimore City 3,000 volunteers expected to help in annual cleanup Baltimore public works crews will be joined by an expected thousands of volunteers tomorrow in the city's 10th annual fall cleanup. To date, 3,000 volunteers from 171 communities have registered to help in the effort, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Department of Public Works said yesterday. DPW and other city agencies will supply brooms, rakes, shovels and trash bags, along with trucks or roll-offs to collect and dispose of debris.

Attention all sofa jockeys: If your most recent experience with cycling was watching last July's televised coverage of Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France, then maybe it's time to dust off your bike and get back in the saddle. But before you shock your atrophic frame with some (gasp!) good old-fashioned exercise, you'll need to know where to ride. From paved trails to off-road paths, there are plenty of biking spots in the greater Baltimore area. Here's a list of some trails to get you moving.

The locations Piney Run: Troll nightcrawlers at 18 to 30 feet for jumbo perch, slab bluegills and good-size catfish. The biggest bluegills are schooling up in the deepest parts of the lake. Early morning anglers are hooking 1- to 3-pound largemouth bass on spinnerbaits, surface lures and Sinkos, says Jim Gronaw at the park office. Chad Dawson, 13, caught a 4.2-pound, 20-inch bucketmouth on a double-bladed spinnerbait from the shoreline. There's a session of moonlight fishing today, 6 p.m.-midnight.

And then, nothing. No drama. Just the broad day, a day in the middle of this week at Loch Raven Reservoir, with the white-tailed deer drinking in the shallows, then up periscope! Spooked by something human, the deer flee into the woods, afraid of something, waiting for that something to pass so they can return to drink. The deer don't want any drama, either. Not out here, especially now. A week ago today, 42 young people were robbed at gunpoint in a remote area of the reservoir called the Cliffs - a hangout far away from the road and the sound of traffic and the taste of the city.

Thirty years ago Robert and Betty Dinker were a young married couple in their 30s with three small children looking for a new home in Baltimore. Both were Baltimore natives, but had been living in North Carolina for a few years while Dr. Dinker completed his residency in radiology. Then, after serving a year in Vietnam, Dr. Dinker returned to Baltimore, where he had a job offer at Mercy Hospital. The Dinkers wanted to build a new house that would be secluded, have plenty of land and be big enough for the whole family.

Many days, the fish aren't biting, but the weather sure is. Temperatures dip below freezing. Each breath forms a frosty cloud. Even the poor minnows -- destined to be bait -- slosh in buckets of icy water. None of this deters the fishermen, who show up on even the coldest mornings at the Dulaney Valley Road bridge over Loch Raven Reservoir in Timonium to go against the crafty crappie, a type of sunfish. They share techniques, fish stories and camaraderie. "We've become friends," says James Cooper, 57, of Edgewood.