Spriggs Farm Park Is Open

[Lisa]

Hi all,

Spriggs Farm Park, the first public water access point on the south shore of the Magothy River in Anne Arundel County, MD, is now open to the general public. The county bought the old Spriggs Farm for 3.1 million dollars in 2011. The park's 55 acres has meadow, woods, trails, an intermittently tidal pond and most importantly the only 700 feet of publicly ownedshoreline on the south shore of the Magothy. You need a lock code to enter the lower park entrance.

How to get the lock code: http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/par...ty/spriggs.cfm

Spriggs Farm Park photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...9085347&type=3

Spriggs is right across from Dobbins Island.

Go float your boat.

Lisa

[EMSer]

I will be there tomorrow!

Thanks Lisa!!

[Lisa]

I will be there tomorrow!

Thanks Lisa!!

You're welcome, and thanks again to all who pushed for Spriggs.

We've asked for a loading/unloading/boat drop zone near the waterfront a la Beverly-Triton. I don't know if Rec & Parks has looked at that idea yet. In the meantime, there's an eroded bluff with an 8-10 foot drop *right* behind the waterfront split rail meadow fence. The Joaquin backwash may have chewed up the bluff a bit more. Please keep your cars and trucks at least 25 feet back from that waterfront fence and then go back and park in the parking area.

Lisa

[On the fly]

As always, thanks

[spangler15]

Are you going to fish or just check out the park?

[Tom Lagana]

I just went and checked it out. I moved a huge and heavy log out of the way. There is a lot of debris right at the launch. I think it still might be a little difficult to get thru there with a rigged kayak on wheels. The parking area and drive up to the launch is great, very easy. Slight decline down a hill, not bad at all. The final five feet is what I am referring to. I am gonna try a clear alittle bit away each time I am there. Seems like very easy entry into the water.


Tom Lagana
www.tomlagana.net

[EMSer]

Are you going to fish or just check out the park?

I am planning to go fish.

I also checked it out today. I concur with Tom's assessment. Getting a loaded kayak back up from the water will require some effort, but not enough to keep me from doing it.

I do not know what time I will be hitting the water though.

[whenican]

thx, Lisa.

[eyedaddy]

Thanks Lisa for another Excellent Job!
eyedaddy

[EMSer]

Launched there today and definitely found fish

[scott taylor]

Spriggs at dawn

Thank Lisa!

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ST

[Lisa]

Hi all,

Spriggs has been open a week. Thank you for jumping right in and using Spriggs. It shows that we wanted public access to the Magothy.

If you want to help further, please send thank-you emails to the people below, both because thanks are deserved and to balance out any complaints from the neighbors.

Include your first and last names and your snail mail address so they know you're a real person. Tell them how you used the park. Photos make a big impression - send a photo or two of you using the park if you can.

Steve Schuh, County Executive
Anne Arundel County
exschu00@aacounty.org

Rick Anthony, Director
Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks
RPANTH49@aacounty.org

Mike Lofton, Chair
Anne Arundel Public Water Access Committee
MSL49@aol.com

Thank you,

Lisa

[DonV]

You're welcome, and thanks again to all who pushed for Spriggs.

We've asked for a loading/unloading/boat drop zone near the waterfront a la Beverly-Triton. I don't know if Rec & Parks has looked at that idea yet. In the meantime, there's an eroded bluff with an 8-10 foot drop *right* behind the waterfront split rail meadow fence. The Joaquin backwash may have chewed up the bluff a bit more. Please keep your cars and trucks at least 25 feet back from that waterfront fence and then go back and park in the parking area.

Lisa

Thanks again Lisa for all your hard work behind the scenes on these water access issues.

Made my first trip to Spriggs yesterday and it is a lovely area and I am really glad to see it open to the public. I went back again today and as I was unloading down at the bottom following your directions I had resident of the community tell me that it was not a road and that no one is to be going down there to unload. She informed me that these were the park rules, I could only park in the parking area, the rangers would be informed, she was taking pictures of all this and that the county was going to shut it all down. I told her I had read that it was fine to unload in the lower area and I would check into it further when I got home. Want to make sure that I am following the rules and hope you can clarify. I know there was some local opposition and possibly hard feelings that are coming into play and am just wondering if the loading issue was specifically brought up or just has been what people had been doing to this point. Saturday there were 10- 20 sea kayakers coming in as I was and everyone pulled down to load up. The pictures you posted online also show everyone loading and unloading in the area. If there is any doubt I don't want to escalate any hard feelings but at the same time I'm not going to take the word of someone I don't know and may have some other motive besides informing me of park rules.

I do believe that the resident did call the DNR, I met WhenICan from here on Snaggedline on the water and he said a resident was talking to a a DNR agent and complaining about teenagers coming down at night and parking down near the launch area.

Anything you can do to clarify would be greatly appreciated.

BTW I have swore to myself that the next time you need support at a county meeting I am going to be there. The guilt is slowly building up and killing me, I keep saying I'm going to do the next one and it hasn't happened yet. I got a bad habit of that. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation for your efforts. Thank you.

[Lisa]

Good morning all,

<snip>
Made my first trip to Spriggs yesterday and it is a lovely area and I am really glad to see it open to the public. I went back again today and as I was unloading down at the bottom following your directions I had resident of the community tell me that it was not a road and that no one is to be going down there to unload. someone I don't know and may have some other motive besides informing me of park rules. <tale of pesky neighbor snipped>

I do believe that the resident did call the DNR, I met WhenICan from here on Snaggedline on the water and he said a resident was talking to a a DNR agent and complaining about teenagers coming down at night and parking down near the launch area. <snip>

There's one in every neighborhood. She may also be telling the county that people are leaving their cars parked near the launch area while kayaking instead of parking in the parking area as you have all been doing.

As far as I know it is OK to park temporarily near the launch path to load and unload and then go park in the parking area. The neighbors don't get to make up the park rules.

The best thing we can do to send emails to County Executive Steve Schuh, Director of Recreation & Parks Rick Anthony and Water Access Committee Chair Mike Lofton thanking them for opening Spriggs. (Contact info for all three further up in this thread.) Please tell them how you enjoyed the park and the Magothy, tell them about the problem with the neighbor and ask for signs designating a temporary parking area near the water like at Beverly-Triton. Emphasize how heavy your fishing yaks are and that wheeling them across the field is not possible. Attach a photo or two - attach a photo of your yak!

The county's getting an earful from the neighbors, the county needs to get sensible emails from us.

Thanks

Lisa

[Lisa]

<snip>

The best thing we can do to send emails to County Executive Steve Schuh, Director of Recreation & Parks Rick Anthony and Water Access Committee Chair Mike Lofton thanking them for opening Spriggs. (Contact info for all three further up in this thread.) <snip>

PS Please include your first and last names and your snail mail address so they know you're a real person.

Lisa