Explore a river with a fish researcher.
We’ll be wading in the Little Gunpowder Falls, searching for fish and identifying them, and checking out any invertebrates and plants along the way.
This location has become Stan Kemp’s favorite site on a Maryland stream, and the visibility for fish is fantastic. It’s right next to the Little Gunpowder Falls USGS flow gauge in Fallston, and that is where we will meet.
Location: Lat 39°30’19.3″, long 76°25’54.4″, Baltimore County, Hydrologic Unit 02060003, on right bank 700 ft upstream from Laurel Brook, 750 ft upstream from bridge on Bottom Road, 5 mi southwest of Bel Air, and 10.5 mi upstream from mouth.
Parking: You can park at irregular pulloffs (some sizeable) along Bottom Road, but there are no bathroom facilities. There’s a larger parking lot at a public beach, which is a short walk upstream from the starting point. If all of these spots are taken then there is a parking lot a little downstream off of Guyot Rd., which is just to the left before you cross the bridge. You can just walk upstream to the meeting point on the road.
Bring/Wear: Be prepared to wade in streams to your knees or a bit higher. Dress accordingly. Bring wading shoes (creek sneaks), a walking stick, a sun hat, and drinking water. If you have polarized sunglasses, wear them, since they’ll help you see the fish.
Cost: Pre-pay online at www.marylandnature.org: $15 members of the Natural History Society of Maryland; $20 non-members. Become a member at www.marylandnature.org. Stan is a volunteer, so your money for this trip will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.
Directions: From I- 95 north from Baltimore, take the Rt. 152 Mountain Rd. exit and head north.
Continue on Rt. 152, past Rt. 1.
Take the next left after the light for Rt, 147 Harford Rd., which is called Connoly Rd. This bears right and turns into Old Fallston Rd.
Take a left just past St. Mark’s church, onto Laurel Brook Rd. Follow this road down into the valley.
After crossing a small stream the road dead ends in a gravel road. Make a left on this road which is called Bottom Rd.
Continue till you see a steel bridge over the Little Gunpowder, cross it and there are a good number of pulloffs to park in on both sides of the road where you can park. We will meet about 200 yards upstream on the right next to the USGS flow monitoring station.
Stan’s cell number (in case you get lost on the day of the trip) is 484-797-4049. Please don’t call him for any other reason. Post questions about the trip below this trip description.
Note: The number of attendees is limited, so please don’t RSVP unless you definitely can attend. If you sign up and your plans change, please change your RSVP so someone else can attend.
Leader: Stanley Kemp’s background is in aquatic ecology, and he hold degrees (BS and MSc) from Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania (PhD). He’s worked with a lot of ecosystems over the years but is now focused on freshwater nontidal habitats. He is especially interested in how improving understanding of stream fauna can aid in stream restoration and protection. He’s been focusing in particular on the river chub, an important fish species but somewhat of an unsung hero. This species is sensitive to urbanization but we do not know exactly why. He is testing hypotheses and theories related to the nesting habits of the species.
