Nature

Well another year has passed. Although there has a lot of problems we can still look back and find some great memories. If you are like me, many of the good things happened outdoors. Well another year has passed. Although there has a lot of problems we can still look back and find some great memories. If you are like me, many of the good things happened outdoors. While fishing with my Grandson he caught the biggest bass (nearly 10 pounds) while we fished a local pond. The big fish was carefully released and, hopefully, will be bigger come next summer.

The Fisher family envisioned a retreat in the backyard of their Baltimore County home — an easy, elegant outdoor living space that would reflect their passion for nature. "I grew up in the country," says Alex Fisher, an investment executive. "There were rock gardens, ponds, streams and a waterfall where we would sometimes camp out. " "We've always enjoyed being outdoors," adds Laurie Fisher, a fashion consultant. "Our son, Davis, will leave for college soon, and we're really embracing this time we have with him. We're happiest relaxing with family and friends.

Laurel resident Betty Baker, who retired in 1995 from her job as office manager at the Laurel Leader, died July 11, just shy of her 78th birthday. Like so many others in our humble hamlet whose world she colored, I was stunned and saddened. How could such a blowtorch of a personality pass from the scene? If anyone had the guts to stare down what awaits us all, surely it was Betty. Betty wore many hats: Doting wife of Tommy, mother of Timmy, grandma of Matt and Erin, organizer extraordinaire, raconteur, drill sergeant, barrel of fun. She had this contagious laugh loud enough to shatter the neon coils on the Red, Hot and Blue sign.

These days, the seconds no more tick away than the hours slip through the narrow part of an hourglass, but as the weather turns warmer and the days get longer, there's ever more reason to spend more time outside and that time is marked by different kinds of ticks. Yes, the tick tock of the clock has been largely replaced by the silence of a digital display, but no matter how much time passes, ticks continue to loom large over time spent enjoying the wild places. Years ago when I was a kid, the main reason to worry about ticks was an infection called Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which has a cool name, even though I'm fairly certain it's as unpleasant as any fever.

Scientists, economists, politicians, educators and even an artist gathered Monday in Annapolis to mark the launch of an unusual University of Maryland think tank that aims to bring academic disciplines together to tackle thorny environmental issues. The aim of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center is to foster collaboration among natural and social scientists so they can help policy-makers, businesses and the public find ways to balance the needs of people and the environment.

Waco, Texas -- FAT SQUIRRELS frolicked on the expansive lush green lawn below. In a dead limb at eye level a pair of pileated woodpeckers ignored the smoke from our cigars and the squeaks from our rocking chairs while they fulfilled their genetic duties.White and pink dogwoods were in full blossom. Twining wisteria vines festooned with heavy clusters of bluish, purplish flowers swayed easily in the early morning breezes. And like teen-age girls in a new convertible, neon pink and deep red azalea bushes demanded attention.

Peering down at the creek running northwest of Cromwell Park Drive in Anne Arundel County, you can glimpse what appears to be a lovely bit of nature that somehow escaped the industrial park dreariness that surrounds it. The sleepy little stream meanders beneath a lush canopy of trees, its waters animated by 11 species of fish and accompanied by the chirp of migrating birds. In fact, this pastoral vista is mostly man-made, part of a $20 million restoration project to repair damage to the Sawmill Creek watershed caused largely by stormwater running off the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Maybe you dream of a getaway that will put you in touch with nature -- something vigorous and outdoorsy that challenges you physically while it soothes your soul. This year, kayaking the Amazon and hiking the Alps may be out of your price range. But fortunately, you can discover the great outdoors here in Maryland -- the best bargain around.We asked people intimately acquainted with our state's natural beauties to share what they like to do on their days off. Maybe you'll want to visit their favorite places.

A carefully planned pleasure garden marries fantasy to reality. It attempts to enhance both nature and the quality of human life.This year, signs of a new sophistication, a tender, extraordinary approach to aesthetics, have appeared in the finest of private landscapes in Maryland. This approach uses new design techniques to capture vista, and thus elevates the simple private garden to something remarkable.

While near Tucson, Ariz., last summer, my husband and I saw a wildfire burning out of control in the Santa Rita Mountains. The Florida Fire, as it was called, was started by lightning and continued to burn as more than 250 firefighters battled to control it. The contrast between the peacefulness of the golf course at Quail Creek Community and the ferocity of the fire made me realize how Mother Nature controls both extremes of our world. Linda Nordling Sykesville

"The air is toxic. I don't want that in here. " -- Megan Draper Sure, Megan was talking about the smog alert. But she was also basically summarizing what all of "Dark Shadows" was about. Everyone is angry. At everyone else. No one is happy. Not one bit. Oh, and it's Thanksgiving. Can't wait to see what sort of anger explodes come Christmas. There were so many inter-personal battles this episode, so let's run through them all, shall we? Ding-ding! Betty vs. Don vs. Megan vs. Sally vs. weight Yup, Betty is back.

Harold Burns, president of the Falls Road Community Association, stepped to the microphone at the Oregon Ridge Lodge Tuesday night and threw down the gauntlet before representatives of a gas company proposing an underground pipeline through his part of Baltimore County. "This is Baltimore, Hon," said Burns. "We're from here … we are going to stay here and fight you. " Burns was one of more than 100 people who showed up at the Lodge for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hearing on Columbia Gas Transmission LLC's plan to install a 21-mile line from Owings Mills to Fallston.

Wooden stakes mark the path that a proposed underground gas pipeline would cut through Jonathan Guth's property in Baltimore County along its 21-mile route northeast to Harford County. The project would take out about half a stand of woods that Guth says makes a fine noise and privacy buffer between his four-bedroom house and the main road, and he's not happy about it. "If all that wasn't here, we probably wouldn't have bought the house," said Guth, pointing to about an acre of 50-foot-tall trees along Ridge Road that provide accommodations for deer, cardinals, blue jays, foxes and at least one red-tailed hawk Guth has grown rather fond of. He and his wife moved in 2009 to this spot southwest of Oregon Ridge Park from a more densely populated county neighborhood, in part for "all the benefits of the natural environment.

When do I put down grub killer in the spring? Spring grubs are big, but they are barely eating now and not damaging your lawn. Don't waste your money on these grubs. Also, applying grub killer in spring sickens wasps that are predators of grubs. You've probably seen these beneficial wasps hovering over your lawn, looking for grubs to attack. Natural controls usually keep grub populations under control. A few grubs are normal and keep the predators around. Rarely is lawn damage caused by grubs.

Nature presents many truisms. Water doesn't flow uphill. Bears eat what they want, where they want. There's no such thing as a squirrel-proof bird feeder. If you need evidence of the latter, simply type the words "rube, Goldberg, squirrel" into your favorite Internet search engine and enjoy the videos of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed creatures making their way through the most mindless of obstacle courses to get to the nuts. While water doesn't flow uphill for reasons dictated by the laws of physics and we humans are inclined to impart human qualities such as persistence and ingenuity to squirrels and bears that defeat bird-feeders and garbage cans, the reason squirrels and bears win in the end is really more of a force of nature than any mental qualities they possess.

I am writing concerning the letter by Dr. Camay Woodall in the April 18 edition of the Towson Times ("Deer problem around Towson is threat to property, and safety"), concerning the number of deer in the Towson area. I fully agree with Dr. Woodall that the deer population is too large and presents hazards to people's health and the environment. While allowing a limited hunting season in order to cull the population is a good idea, I think there is better, more environmentally-friendly alternative to bring the deer population to a manageable level.

Great stories and the great outdoors combine at the Irvine Nature Center's "Story Time by the Pond" Sunday. Naturalist Monica Wiedel will gather children of all ages by the pond on the Nature Center's grounds in Stevenson, share books and stories about nature and bring out some of the animals that live at the center. Her presentation may include turtles, toads, snakes, lizards, an owl and other critters. Wiedel likes to give a lively and interactive presentation as she educates her audience about preservation, habitats and predator-prey relationships, among other nature themes.

In the autumn is best, when the cool nights provoke boils of fog from the James River where it runs shallow through the heart of Richmond.Then, just before dawn, he likes to get comfortable with a thermos of coffee, seated on a rock in the river's bed, says Ralph White, manager of the urban James River Park.The sun perfuses the mists with a cold, red glow, and wild ducks strike a cacophony that swells and swells, until the first rays of light appear -- then silence; and then the whirring of waterfowl rocketing into the bright morning air.At such times, he says, "I feel like Mickey Mouse in that classic scene from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' where every direction he turns, his power causes great, grand things to happen."

With guns bristling, police officers in full tactical gear sweep across the vast deck of a cargo ship and creep up the stairs to the bridge. Their mission: Take the vessel back from armed intruders. Twice a month, the Natural Resources Police Tactical Response Team practices its craft. Tuesday morning's exercise was aboard the USNS Gilliland, a 956-foot vessel operated by the Navy Military Sealift Command and tied up at the Clinton Street Marine Terminal. "Basically it's a high-rise lying on its side, but it's a lot more complicated," said Sgt. Mel Adam, the squad leader, of the vessel.

Mother Nature brought relief to a parched Baltimore on Sunday, but the persistent rain didn't dampen the spirits at the Earth Day festivities in Hampden. "We had a few hundred people come through today," said Don Barton, 29, an organizer of Sunday's Localize It! 2012, one of a series of events during the week to celebrate Earth Day in the Baltimore area. "People are braving the rain and seem to be having a good time. " Localize It!, sponsored by the Baltimore Free Farm, promotes local food, music and vendors.