Patuxent River

ON THE PATUXENT RIVER -- Mama duck is not amused. Her kids, still in their original oval wrappers, are tucked beneath her, not yet ready to make their entrance into the world. The bird eyeballs Cliff Brown, who peers back as he teeters on an old ladder atop a leaky boat. Deciding the interloper is not a threat, the duck holds her ground and Brown lowers the lid on the shoebox-size wooden box atop a metal pole. "She's a good mama," Brown says as he starts the outboard motor and backs the flat-bottomed skiff away from the box. Moments later, he slows the boat to idle and jots a shorthand note on a battered and water-logged clipboard: HON - Hen on Nest.

The body of a middle-aged woman was pulled from a tributary of the Patuxent River yesterday afternoon in Davidsonville, and the incident has been turned over to Anne Arundel County detectives. County firefighters responded to the first block of Trails End Road about 1 p.m. after a 911 call reporting a body floating in the swift-running tributary behind homes there, said Capt. Harry Steiner, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman. Steiner said firefighters at first were unable to locate the body, but that members of the county's swift-water rescue team recovered the body a short time later.

For many years, the Chesapeake Bay has been recognized by Marylanders as a historical and national symbol providing endless resources and economic stability. However, in recent years, the Patuxent River, one of the bay's tributaries and the longest river entirely within Maryland, has become less resourceful as a result of neglect, pollutants and land practices in surrounding regions. Each year, volunteers and various organizations join in the Patuxent River Spring Clean-Up, a statewide response to these environmental issues, in an attempt to give back to the bay and show appreciation for its resources.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has revamped its plans in Crofton and now wants to build the Baltimore region's fifth Supercenter, adding a supermarket to the retail chain's traditional shopping component - after repeatedly denying an interest in offering low-cost groceries. A revised proposal recently submitted to Anne Arundel County shows a store of about 121,000 square feet - about 22,000 square feet smaller than the one first offered - but adding about 29,000 square feet for groceries. In late January, the retailer, which opened a Supercenter in Aberdeen in 2005, announced plans to open three more in the region.

A winter morning view of the Patuxent River from the Thomas Johnson Bridge offers a palette of gray and indigo, water tumbling under overcast skies. During rush hour, commuters have ample time to take in the bucolic scene as they creep across the narrow, two-lane bridge to St. Mary's County and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. At least 2,500 Calvert County residents commute daily to the base, a fraction of the 20,000 defense industry jobs pumping up Southern Maryland. They're the economic payoff of the base realignment and closure (BRAC)

Crofton Approvals delayed for Route 3 project New concerns about the environmental effects on the Patuxent River watershed -- including those that would be caused by a proposed Wal-Mart in Crofton -- have prompted state and federal agencies to delay approvals on the long-awaited overhaul of Route 3, state highway officials said. The Maryland Department of the Environment, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have begun re-examining state plans to construct a bridge over the Patuxent River and a "flyover" ramp linking Route 3 with Route 450. State officials had previously expected to secure approvals by last fall and start construction by 2009 on the nine-mile stretch between Gambrills and Bowie, but they say now that federal highway officials might not approve the proposal until the summer of 2008.

New concerns about the environmental effects on the Patuxent River watershed - including those caused by a proposed Wal-Mart in Crofton - have prompted state and federal agencies to delay approvals on the long-awaited overhaul of Route 3, state highway officials said. The Maryland Department of the Environment, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have begun re-examining state plans to construct a bridge over the Patuxent River and a "flyover" ramp linking Route 3 with Route 450. While state officials had previously expected to secure approvals by last fall and start construction by 2009 on the 9-mile stretch between Gambrills and Bowie, now they say federal highway officials may not sign off on the proposal until the summer of 2008.

This date in 1917 was the coldest day on record for Baltimore. After an overnight low of minus-3 degrees Fahrenheit, the mercury failed to reach double digits, stalling at 9 degrees. The next day wasn't much better, with a high of just 12 degrees. For 14 days, thermometers never reached the other side of 32 degrees. River navigation ceased by Dec. 9. There were 8 to 10 inches of ice at the mouth of the Patuxent River. It was the coldest December here until 1989.

After years of delays, plans for the dredging of Columbia's lakes Kittamaqundi and Elkhorn are moving forward, as Columbia Association official are weighing technical proposals and hoping to award a contract by as soon as May. For years, both manmade lakes have been overcome with algae and sediment, a soupy mixture threatening to turn them into marshland if left untouched. Over the years, however, the Columbia Association's board of directors has put off dredging in favor of other capital projects.

As a wall of white water gushed from slits near the top of the T. Howard Duckett Dam, a Laurel business just downstream was surrounded on three sides by water from the rain-swollen Patuxent River. Waves lapped against the front steps. Even though Bill N. Polizos, owner of Progressive Rent a Car, said, "We're like a post office, we're always open," he then had to explain yesterday to a customer on the phone why this week's deluge and the nearby dam meant he couldn't clean a car that the customer wanted.