Public Access to the Public Waterfront Parks of Anne Arundel County

[Lisa]

Hello all,

I'm a sea kayaker and I started a movement this summer to let the general public into the waterfront public parks of Anne Arundel County. Anne Arundel County has a treasure trove of waterfront park property and we can't use most of it to launch our boats. Quick backstory:

http://www.cpakayaker.com/forums/vie...php?f=1&t=7586

We've made some progress. Preliminary proposals out of Recreation & Parks let us into some county parks that have never really been open to the public before. I'm asking for support from other groups such as yours that want to use the county public waterfront. The Chesapeake Bay is our playing field and we need shoreline access to reach it. So far we have the Chesapeaker Paddlers Association, the Watersedge Kayak Meetup, the EastKB kiteboarders, some kayak businesses and dozens of individual sea kayakers on board.

I read your forum and see that public access is an issue that frustrates your group.

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...hlight=Arundel

Rick Anthony, the Director of Recreation & Parks, is pro-public access to the public parks, as is Laura Neumann, the new AA County Executive. There are two immediate things Snagged Line can do to support public waterfront access. First, an email of support from Snagged Line/Maryland Kayak Fishing to Rick Anthony on behalf of the kayak fishing community would help this effort. Second, Laura Neumann has a Constituent Open House on September 18th in Annapolis from 4 to 6 pm. A representative group of kayakers and kiteboarders is attending and it would be great if some of you could join us and represent the kayak fishing community.

Lisa

[Runnin]

I can agree that access to the Magothy is terrible. This is a very popular early season waterway for Yellow Perch, and Pickeral fishing. We could use better access. Hopefully , someone will pick up this flag and run with it.

[BassMoore]

last i heard 1 million was dropped into parks for 3 kayak launches around the magothy area.

One was beach wood park. which is upper magothy, other was the new one at ft smallwood park. Which is access right into the bay and the other was some new access point

my dad read all of this in the news paper, 2 of the 3 already being built.

Most of the boat ramps you can launch at just need to find parking. No one can say anything to you for launching a kayak and parking else where though. your not opening gates, and your not leaving a trailer. and the water is public

[Lisa]

You'd need the genes of an Olympic class mountain goat to get a kayak in the water at Beachwood Park. There's a long carry through the woods and then a long steep drop over old building foundations to get to the waterfront. It's an old waterfront resort so there should be an old road down to the water but no one I know has found it yet. It's not that far off of East Route 100 if you want to go check it out. Fort Smallwood is where Rock Creek meets the bay north of the Bodkin.

Lisa

[rob-kayak]

I was "told" (a park person) last week that there are changes coming to Beverly-Triton launch. While not exactly a favorite
for this group, it is a beautiful area. I hope it will stay open for the non-Anne Arrundel community.
What I was "told" is that they won't be selling passes to the launch parking... I don't have a parking pass.
At the street parking, I used my cart last week, and it is a short walk on a hard gravel surface... no problems.
There were people coming in just to enjoy the beautiful beach and the bay.
I hope this area is not lost for any public access.

[Runnin]

I'll second the Beachwood Park comment. I scouted that as a launch site last spring. That is a tough portage both in and out. It would take a sizeable construction project to make that a good access point. But I like the location being back in the sheltered waters of the Magothy.

[Lisa]

Rob, is the big parking log still blocking cart access to the pedestrian gate at Beverly Triton?

The county owns the big vacant lot across the street from the Beverly Triton entrance and we've asked the county to use it for park overflow parking. There are only 16 parking spots just outside the park entrance and that's mighty skimpy for a 300+ acre park.

Lisa

[Mark]

"First, an email of support from Snagged Line/Maryland Kayak Fishing to Rick Anthony on behalf of the kayak fishing community would help this effort."

Lisa,

I appreciate your efforts.

Are you asking for emails of support to Mr. Anthony from Snaggedline members as individuals? As an Anne Arundel county resident and member of this forum I'll be glad to do that.

Or are you looking for a consolidated group response from Snaggedline. I wouldn't know how to do that.

I found Mr. Anthony's email address: rpwick22@aacounty.org

It's on the Department of Recreation and Parks website: http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/dir...m#.UjDEvz8uGno

[rob-kayak]

Rob, is the big parking log still blocking cart access to the pedestrian gate at Beverly Triton?

The county owns the big vacant lot across the street from the Beverly Triton entrance and we've asked the county to use it for park overflow parking. There are only 16 parking spots just outside the park entrance and that's mighty skimpy for a 300+ acre park.
Lisa

No log blocking the entrance to the pedestrian access gate. No problems rolling my kayak through.
I was there last week. I can imagine the "walk-in" lot getting busy in the summer.

Thanks for all your efforts... I'd be happy to show my "face" on the 18th of September... as matter of
support. Although I'm such a noobie here I'll let the others do the talking.

[Lisa]

"First, an email of support from Snagged Line/Maryland Kayak Fishing to Rick Anthony on behalf of the kayak fishing community would help this effort."

I appreciate your efforts.

Are you asking for emails of support to Mr. Anthony from Snaggedline members as individuals? As an Anne Arundel county resident and member of this forum I'll be glad to do that.

Or are you looking for a consolidated group response from Snaggedline. I wouldn't know how to do that.

Thank you. Both. That's what the kayak and kiteboarding groups are doing. Rick Anthony's email address is ranthony@aacounty.org Each sport needs an open park entrance, ample parking, a portapotty and a short carry. Beyond that, what do the fishing kayaks need?

Our basic talking points are 1) public parks should be open to the general public and telling him about our sport/hobby and what we need to pursue it in Anne Arundel County 2) specific frustrations with water access in AA county and problems with specific parks and suggestions for fixing those problems 3) when we get to use the public waterfront in AA county we also spend money in the county. There isn't a form letter to cut and paste - it's better when people express their opinions in their own words.

The man is on our side and working for more public access to the waterfront parks against decades of no access. Our support and suggestions are valuable.

Lisa

[Mark]

Lisa,

Thank you.

I just emailed Mr. Anthony.

Mark

[Lisa]

Thank you, Mark.

People can also email Laura Neuman, the new County Executive, at lneuman@aacounty.org

She is also pro-public access and she told me she reads all her email.

Emails are most effective if you include your first and last names, your postal address and a phone number. Even if you don't live in AA County the fact that you come here and fish here and spend money here helps.

Lisa

[Mark]

Lisa,

Just to let you know that our county administrators are indeed listening, Mr. Anthony already replied thanking me for my email and telling me that it will be filed to support the county's "water access efforts."

[whenican]

@ Lisa.....if I remember correctly, there is an old road through the woods@ Beachwood Park.....but it's south of those old building foundations....looks like an boat launch. Thx for your public water access advocacy.

[HJS]

The problem I have with applying pressure to county and state officials for more cartop launches is sometimes we get pretty crummy launch sites… like, looong carries over rough terrain. Having worked in MD-DNR for over 30 years I sorta know what happens sometimes. County/state higher-up officials pressure individual park managers to establish more cartop launch sites. The locate park managers may or may not be opened to the idea, or their park’s geography is not conducive to a nice cartop lanch… but still they make a less then stellar launch site and it’s listed on their respective websites.

I’ve only been to a few of these less than acceptable cartop launch site to see first hand what they are about. However, I’ve also read fishing reports on sites like MKF that there are others launch sits where launching is very difficult. Many times the launch site could have been made easier. There’s a couple of them established on the west side of the Susky Flats and the one at the beach at Elk Neck Park that is a long haul and with fairly restrictive hours. And there's Beach Wood Park as mentioned above and I’ve heard that Downs Park is difficult. Yeah, I know, if you don’t like them you don’t have to use them… but these crummy launches still count as a job well done as far as the park managers and official are concerned… therefore there’s no need for any more… so goes their thought process.

Anyway, you get the picture. Sometimes I don’t think their hearts are in the right place.

I don’t know if there is a solution. At 67, I’m an old phart. Maybe you young bucks can do these difficult launches… but I’m an old stag on his last legs. I’d like to be able to drive to at least a 100 feet (or less) from the launch site. And keep in mind that sometime in the future you too will be an old phart kayakers… and sooner than you think. BTW, I’d like some nice cheese with my whine.