Nature Center

With milk jugs, nets and high spirits, the fourth-graders in Betty L. Smith's science classes descended upon an outdoor laboratory that is only a short walk from their classroom at Manchester Elementary School. Forest, meadow, bogs, ponds and streams waited to be discovered - along with several miles of trails in the 69 acres that constitute Pine Valley Park and Charlotte's Quest Nature Center. "It's Manchester's Central Park," said Smith, who has served for six years on the board of the nonprofit Manchester Parks Foundation.

Frank J. Marsden stands along Deer Creek, fiddling with a tree limb that had its bark chewed off by the beavers inhabiting scenic north Harford.Walking along a freshly cut trail, Marsden picks up an empty pod, about the size of a golf ball, explaining how it was used by a wasp to lay its eggs.Atop a hill overlooking the creek's confluence with Big Branch, the 44-year-old Pylesville resident holds a chunk of schist that formsthe bedrock in much of the county.These are some of nature's wonders Marsden hopes to show county residents this summer when the first phase of the Eden Mill Nature Center opens at the 57-acre Deer Creek site.

Baltimore County firefighters overwhelmingly ratified a one-year contract that calls for a 3 percent cost-of-living increase and additional benefits for tenured members of the department, union officials said yesterday. The agreement calls for additional pay raises for firefighters and paramedics who have worked for the department for at least 13 years and another increase for those with more than 17 years, union officials said. Under the new contract, new hires will be required to work 30 years with the department or be 60 years old before they're eligible for their pension, said Michael K. Day Sr., president of the Baltimore County Professional Fire Fighters Association.

THANKS TO the generosity of pupils and staff at Eldersburg Elementary School, more than 20 area families will have a little bit brighter holiday.Sturdy laundry baskets filled with two dozen cleaning, paper and personal hygiene items were distributed to area residents last week during the His Table bagged lunch program administered by ESCAPE Ministries Inc.Project coordinator Christine Schwarz and committee members Nicole Agostino, Maureen Diesher, Cindy...

The Westminster Astronomical Society wants to open up the night sky for Carroll County residents by building an observatory at Bear Branch Nature Center. Yesterday, the organization received preliminary support from the county commissioners to move forward on its plan. "It sounds like a great idea," said Commissioner Perry L. Jones Jr. The society's proposal calls for a 32-foot-by-32-foot observatory at the nature center outside Westminster. The building would be equipped with three telescopes and a retractable roof.

Nearly 100 children gathered yesterday in Manchester for the local park foundation's annual Easter egg and scavenger hunt, turning Pine Valley Nature Center into a playground for youths eager to take part in the springtime tradition.Some youngsters got to the center long before the eggs were hidden in mulch piles and under trees. The early arrivals waited eagerly while the eggs were hidden by members of a local Boy Scout troop.The event was so popular that organizers ran out of eggs for the little ones to find in less than 20 minutes.

Mark Bray wanted his Eagle Scout project to be "something that would have some meaning to it."Eighteen months after he made that decision, the 15-year-old Manchester resident is putting the finishing touches on a 750-foot concrete walkway that will bring nature to disabled visitors to the planned Bear Branch Nature Center near Union Mills. The center adjoins Hashawha Environmental Appreciation Center.He had another reason for his choice of project. "My grandmother is disabled, and it would mean a lot to me if she could walk on it," Mark said.

Cupid and Owlex have had a hard time taking their afternoon naps since construction began outside their West Baltimore home two weeks ago. Outside the birds' cages in the Carrie Murray Outdoor Education Campus in Leakin Park, a bulldozer is flattening the earth to make way for a new classroom. Baltimore City is spending $500,000 to renovate and expand the 14-year-old nature center from 4,553 to 8,193 square feet and accommodate twice as many students who visit Owlex, Cupid and other creatures.

Woman, 33, dies of injuries sustained in one-car crashA 33-year-old Baltimore woman whose car rolled over after sliding off an icy stretch of Liberty Road Monday morning has died.Donna Marie Walton, of the 3500 block of Dudley Ave., was pronounced dead at 10:40 p.m. Monday at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Ms. Walton was the 31st person to be killed this year in a Carroll County traffic accident.State police said Ms. Walton was driving a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle east on Liberty Road about 8 a.m. when it slid across the westbound lane near the entrance to the Lakeview Cemetery.

Bear Branch offers summer programs Bear Branch Nature Center at Hashawha Environmental Center offers programs for all ages. End of School Campfire for all ages from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. Hot dogs, s'mores and campfire stories will be featured. The cost is $3 for members and $5 for nonmembers. "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs," fly fishing for teens ages 11 to 15 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Lake Hashawha. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will offer beginner fly fishing.