Park Officials

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- Beneath the imperious granite faces that stare out at one another across this fabled valley, the signs of devastation are everywhere.The river that roared up just after the New Year is a quiescent mess, its banks splayed across meadows, its new shape carved from the roads and highways that ran alongside it.Favorite campsites have vanished. Marks from the water reach eight feet on some buildings. The valley's high-tech sewer system is newly visible, in lengths of thick, broken pipe that lie scattered along with countless trees.

Federal officials are conducting a $235,000 study to determine if they should establish some type of national park, monument or reserve along the Chesapeake Bay. The National Park Service is due to complete a study in the middle of next year that examines whether there is a suitable park site along the bay's 185-mile length from the mouth of the Susquehanna River to Norfolk, Va. Park officials say they will not evaluate or recommend a specific site,...

It staggers the imagination to think that a little more than 20 years ago, the idea of saving a pristine neck of land on the South River and remaking it into a showplace public park would have been controversial. Now, two decades after Quiet Waters Park made its debut, the proof is that it attracts 700,000 visitors a year. The claims that it would bring noisy crowds, harm the environment and be too extravagant have evaporated. It's established itself as a beloved haven of sanctuary and sanity for its patrons, who praise its paths, forested groves, tucked-away gardens and water views.

Yesterday's final score: Hunters, 2; Deer, many, many more.The much-publicized first managed deer hunt at Howard County's Middle Patuxent Environmental Area got off to a rocky start as 10 hunters in bright orange vests managed to fire only four shots and kill two does in six hours yesterday morning.That leaves dozens, maybe hundreds of deer free to roam the heavily wooded park -- and John Byrd with a slight case of disappointment."I would've hoped to see more [deer killed] on the first day," said Byrd, Howard's chief of parks and program services, who organized the hunt in the park that borders Columbia.

ASSATEAGUE ISLAND -- Major repairs to the storm-ravaged state and federal seashore parks south of Ocean City were delayed yesterday so divers can determine the effect of Saturday morning's northeaster on the Verrazano Bridge linking the mainland to the barrier island.State Department of Natural Resources officials closed the bridge and the island to visitors Saturday so they could inspect the beach. But repairs that were to have begun yesterday were halted when inspectors discovered that water rushing beneath the bridge had eroded the riverbed and exposed previously buried portions of the bridge supports.

Bikers, hikers, bird-watchers and others who frequent Anne Arundel County parks can add a bench or support a flower garden project through a recently expanded donation program. The "Lasting Gift" program, started eight years ago, originally sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails organization, is now linked to the county's recreation and parks department. Residents can donate bricks, bike racks, fountains, playground equipment, plants and other park features as memorials.

The chief of planning and construction for the county Department of Parks and Recreation will be the guest speaker Thursday at the Greater Pasadena Council meeting.Jack Keene will discuss the status of Fort Smallwood Park and the availability of boat ramps in Pasadena. The meeting will be held at 7: 30 p.m. at the Eastern District Police Station.For more information, call 437-2661.Pub Date: 4/23/96

On the third Saturday in May, generations of Baltimoreans marched onto the infield at Pimlico Race Course with their coolers in tow, an image that helped define the Preakness Stakes. No longer. The Maryland Jockey Club has unveiled enhanced security plans for the 138th Preakness Stakes in the wake of recent deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. And coolers are among the casualties. Fans will be subject to electronic wand searches at all gates for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 17 and the Preakness on May 18. They will not be allowed to carry backpacks or duffel bags into the races and only smaller, see-through-plastic containers will be permitted.

The 24-year-old Dundalk man had climbed the mill wheel in Susquehanna State Park plenty of times over the years without mishap, an activity that's said to be a rite of passage for many who visit Rock Run's historic gristmill.But last Sunday what began as a lark turned into a tragedy when the 30-foot wheel started spinning under Christopher Brian Reinthaler and his friend, 23-year-old Patricia Waldmann of Sparrows Point.Ms. Waldmann was discharged yesterday from Maryland ShockTrauma Center in Baltimore where she was taken for a crushed leg. And park authorities -- at Mr. Reinthaler's urging -- are crafting plans to anchor the mill wheel when it's not in use."