Trail

The growing national trend toward converting old railroad beds into recreational trails for bikers, hikers, bird-watchers and flora-lovers offers no better examples than the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail in Anne Arundel County and the Northern Central Railroad Trail in neighboring Baltimore County.More than fun places to kill a few hours, these "linear parks" are cherished by the hundreds of thousands of people who travelthem annually.On a sunny summer Saturday or Sunday in Baltimore County, cars with bikes strapped to their roofs drive toward the Northern Central trail in such numbers that you'd think the Tour de France had relocated there.

A new hiker-biker trail with access through the playground of Millersville Elementary School could put children in danger, nearby residents fear."It's difficult enough to keep strangers off school grounds as it is now," said Darlene Huntsman, who has two children attending school there."

Sometimes the score on the North Central Railroad Trail is Marvin 1, beavers 0. Sometimes, it's Marvin 0, beavers 1.The only sure thing is the contest, a daily event in which bicyclist meets beavers near the 17-mile marker. The marker is between Bentley Springs and Freeland in upper Baltimore County, on the northern section of the 21-mile trail.Marvin Yaker says he is not anti-beaver. The 65-year-old retired Baltimore housing official would be willing to live and let dam, if the beavers hadn't dammed Bee Tree Run, causing water to seep onto the trail.

A nonprofit group seeking to create a heritage trail network along a 40-mile stretch of the Susquehanna River in Harford and Cecil counties has received a federal grant intended to help get the project started. The $80,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used by the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway Inc. to design a plan for biking and hiking trails along improved roads, create better shoreline access for anglers, and post signs highlighting the culture, history, and environmental aspects of the area.

In light of recent attacks on the B&A Trail, county police have stepped up nighttime patrols and arrested 17 people for trespassing on the trail during the weekend. County Executive John R. Leopold ordered the increased bike patrols after a 20-year-old man walking on the trail in the Harundale area after dark Nov. 5 was beaten and robbed by a group of young males. "The trail is one of the most highly prized amenities in the county," Leopold said. "I don't like the fact that people are in fear of being assaulted when they're using this amenity."

Piney Orchard's developers are giving Anne Arundel County 4.1 miles of old railroad right of way to use for a new bike trail, said a company spokesman."

A Glen Burnie businessman said this week the developer of an upscale condominium project may help him make his dream of a sports complex on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail become a reality.Robert G. Rodriguez, owner of Home World remodeling on Crain Highway, said F.J.S. Management Co. -- which manages Cromwell Fountain in Glen Burnie -- has expressed interest in developing the site as a combination health spa, cafe and bicycle shop.James Scott, Jr., vice president of F.J.S., did not return repeated telephone calls yesterday.

Piney Orchard's developers are giving Anne Arundel County 4.1 miles of old railroad right-of-way to use for a new bike trail, said a company spokesman."

Westminster has received a $108,000 state grant that will cover half the cost of a segment of a planned 2 1/2 -mile hiking and biking trail on the city's western side.The trail will be dedicated to the memory of Terence Burk, a Westminster candy-store owner who was struck by a car and killed while jogging along Route 97 in August 1995.A memorial fund established in his name will finance part of the trail.The state grant, approved last week by Gov. Parris N. Glendening, will be used to build a 1-mile segment of the trail from Long Valley Road to Tahoma Farm Road.

Surrounded by towering trees, rolling fields and the gurgling waters of the Gunpowder Falls, the North Central Railroad Trail attracts nearly a million visitors each year, from casual walkers to bikers, joggers and horseback riders. Because it is considered such a valuable recreational resource, the Rotary Club of Hunt Valley has joined with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to raise money to build rest areas with benches and drinking fountains along the 20 miles of trail in Maryland, which runs from Ashland to the state line.