Wetlands

Upgrades begin at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - Officials at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park have started work on $1 million worth of improvements at the site, including a new walking trail from Cavalier Heights to the lower town area. The trail, which will be about a mile and a half long, is designed to help visitors enjoy natural attractions along Shoreline Drive, such as wetlands.

BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, PA. - The state of Pennsylvania has put aside $150,000 for the Washington Township Supervisors to use toward the purchase of six acres of land otherwise destined to be a housing development. A detailed letter arrived in Saturday's mail explaining how the supervisors should apply for reimbursement from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources when buying the land adjacent to Happel's Meadow Wetland Preserve. "We have to purchase it first ... and send in a receipt," Supervisor Carroll Sturm said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Areas of Jefferson County that consist of forest, wetlands and streams, and are favored spots for rare species, are coming into clearer view as officials work on a series of maps that outline the regions. Officials are identifying the areas using technology like GIS, which is the collection of computer hardware, software and geographic information to analyze geographic features. County officials say it is important to identify the features in the face of growth in coming years, and Jefferson County Commission member Dale Manuel said Tuesday night that the data can be used in its current work to rewrite the county's land-use regulations.

Development's first phase approved WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Forty-nine single-family houses in the first phase of Spring Run Estates won final approval from the Washington Township (Pa.) Supervisors on Monday, along with a provision allowing Accent Developers LLC to only base coat internal roads headed into the winter months. That move is designed to reduce damage from construction vehicles. "We've always required them to finish the road, but they wanted to try this," Township Manager Mike Christopher said.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Five companies have sued the Jefferson County Commission over new land-use laws that the commission passed on Oct. 2, claiming the commission did not follow the correct procedures in passing the laws and that there are flaws in how the laws protect historic sites, wetlands and water wells. The suit, filed last Friday in Jefferson County Circuit Court, said the commission passed the new land-use laws - referred to as zoning - under a state code known as 8A-7-13.

BEAVER CREEK -- More than 100 people packed a Beaver Creek church Thursday night for a mediator-facilitated discussion with developers about ways to reduce the negative impact of the proposed Hagerstown Gateway Shopping Center. The meeting marked the first time that representatives of the development company, Faison, had met directly with the public about the 850,000-square-foot shopping and entertainment center proposed for the area southeast of the Interstate 70/U.S. 40 interchange.

Deny the permit To the editor: Should a 2,200 acre forest be converted to a city without proper review of the environmental impacts that it would create? Well, that may happen to one of Maryland's environmental gems after a federal agency last week issued a permit allowing a foreign-owned company to develop the pristine Chapman's Forest on the Potomac River. It has long been known that the Chapman's Forest is one of the most environmentally sensitive sites in the state - home to thousands of songbirds and filter of water entering on of the best bass fisheries around.

W.Va. recycling event to last one month MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority and Apple Valley Waste Services have announced a month-long collection and recycling event for May. Any Berkeley County resident who is served by Apple Valley Waste can schedule the curbside pickup of up to two appliances, or residents can haul their metal, household appliances to the South Berkeley or Grapevine Road recycling centers,...

Mildred S. Miller, never a woman of means, still had enough to establish the 46-acre Stauffer's Marsh Nature Preserve that was dedicated Tuesday in a special ceremony. Miller died in 1999. "My mother never had much money and what she did have went to her will," her son, Stauffer Miller, said at the dedication a half-mile south of the village of Shanghai on Back Creek Valley Road. Stauffer Miller said his mother always instilled a love of the natural world in her children.

A Tomstown Road resident on Monday became the first person to receive permission to do metal detecting in Washington Township, Pa., parks since the township supervisors placed restrictions on the activity. Dave Shifflett told the Washington Township Supervisors he enjoys using his metal detector to search for coins he gives his grandson. Last week, the supervisors enacted a ban on metal detecting in municipal parks. That ban included a caveat that individuals wanting to do metal detecting could seek permission to do so for a year if they promise to follow certain guidelines.