Catoctin Group

The Maryland Chapter's Catoctin Group encompasses Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties in Maryland. The geography of the region and the area these counties cover offers a plethora of opportunities to explore nature.  But it presents a challenge to organizing our over 1,000 members, as it can take up to an hour to travel from Carroll and Washington counties to Frederick city, our historically central meeting place.

Carroll County

Carroll County lies in the Piedmont region of north-central Maryland between Baltimore and Frederick counties. Just under 456 square miles, it is about 27 miles in length and width at its greatest dimensions. Its elevations range from 300 feet above sea level in the southeast to 1,080 feet in the northeast. Home to forests, farms and wetlands, Carroll County sits in two major drainage basins: The Monocacy River to the west, which flows into the Potomac River, and the Patapsco or Gunpowder rivers to the east and south, all of which lead to the Cheasapeake Bay. Bear Branch and Piney Run nature centers and Morgan Run, a designated wild lands area, offer many recreational opportunities to the counties 168,541 of residents.

Frederick County

Bordered by the Potomac River and Pennsylvania, Frederick County is a transition county from the Piedmont in the east to the first ridges of the Appalachians and continuing west. Rolling hills of mostly farmland and small communities dominate the east. The county boasts a population of 220,000 residents. At the center is Frederick city, Maryland’s second largest city with about 59,000 inhabitants. To the west and north are the Catoctin Mountains, which are protected by Gambrill State Park, the Frederick Watershed, Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain National park. These parks offer numerous hiking trails, including the 28-mile Catoctin Trail, the longest in the region. Fifty-eight miles of the Monocacy River, nearly its entire length, is in Frederick County and is navigable when water levels are sufficient. The C&O Canal National Park parallels the Potomac River through the county, and the old C&O towpath has been preserved as a hiking and biking trail.

Washington County

The South Mountain ridgeline forms the border between Frederick and Washington counties. The Appalachian Trail winds its 40 miles through Maryland along this ridgeline.

Environmental Challenges

The greatest environmental challenges these counties face are population growth and suburban sprawl due to the spread east and north of the greater Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. As predominately agricultural counties, none have been designed for commuting: there is very little mass transit and planning processes have lacked vision. While there are many excellent recreational walking and biking trails, none were designed to be practical alternatives to driving. The water supply is also strained, and in some areas polluted, and the air pollution across the counties has been getting worse.

Catoctin Group Action and Activity

The Catoctin Group has been very active in working with and supporting other grass roots groups to help address these issues in an intelligent and environmentally sound way.

We organize a variety of informational gatherings throughout the year and recently launched Cool Cities campaigns in Carroll and Frederick counties. We are currently working to do more programs in Washington County.

The Sierra Club Catoctin Group also runs a number of hikes in and around the three-county area yearly. We are looking for new Outings Leaders from all three counties, who would be interested in leading hikes, boat trips or other activities. The only experience necessary is a love of the outdoors – the Sierra Club provides training. We also have a tradition of "Second Tuesday" socials at Brewers Alley on Market Street in downtown Frederick 6 to 8 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month. And we are planning a film series about energy for early 2007.

Turn your interest into action

Currently, we are a five-member executive committee (excom) elected to two-year terms. However, we have lots of room to grow and would welcome more help. We are now accepting nominations for the 2007-2009 term. If you live in Carroll, Frederick or Washington counties, please consider volunteering for a seat on the excom. We especially need people interested in chairing our conservation and political committees and putting out a newsletter. If this level of engagement is out of the question, but you’d like to get more involved, consider helping us organize a program, join the Cool Cities initiatives, lead a a hike or just join a hike or attend a film or social and get to know us.

For more information or to get involved, contact us!

We hope to hear from you soon.

Carroll County

Dan Andrews
Cool Cities Westminster
Energy issues/Vice Chair
dooze@qis.net
410-857-4129

Gregor Becker
Conservation chair
Political chair
lorax4@carr.org
410-346-6336

Frederick County

Ken Eidel
Treasurer
Cool Cities Frederick
kceidel@verizon.net
301-696-5933

Chris Hodge
Outings chair
mdhiker2@yahoo.com 
240-388-6446

Washington County

Marcia Watters
Water monitoring
mdwatters@juno.com
301-790-3808

Sierra Catoctin Group Calendar

MARYLAND SIERRA CLUB CATOCTIN CHAPTER EVENTS Summer 2008:

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Upcoming Hikes:

Sunday June 22 - Hike Maryland Heights 

Afternoon hike, followed by optional dinner in Harpers Ferry

Moderately difficult.   This is a fairly challenging loop hike of about 6.5 miles/4 hours with a 1300 foot elevation change, in the Maryland Heights, across from Harpers Ferry. There are some outstanding views of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and Harpers Ferry, as well as some old fortifications to explore. 
 
We'll meet at 3 p.m. on the C&O canal towpath across from the trailhead (a shorts ways upstream from the Maryland side of the footbridge to Harpers Ferry).   Bring plenty of water and wear sturdy hiking shoes.

Directions: 340 south to 180.  Turn right on Sandy Hook Road, pass under bridge, then go 1 mile to small parking area on right, just past the bridge over the canal and the trailhead.  This is a small parking area, so it is best to carpool.  If it is full, there are a couple of other areas further along Sandy Hook Road to pull over.   Alternative parking, especially if you are staying for dinner or want to explore Harpers Ferry before the hike: Stay on 340 to Harpers Ferry and park in lower Harpers Ferry by the train station.  Walk across the foot bridge, then go north (left) on the C&O towpath a short ways.  Email Chris at mdhiker2@yahoo.com  for questions and to rsvp.

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Simplicity Circle - Exploring Deep Ecology

Will be Starting in Gaithersburg
Eight Monday nights, starting June 2.
Informational meeting Thursday May 22.
For more information contact
Chris at mdhiker2@yahoo.com [mailto:mdhiker2@yahoo.com]
Wendy at (301) 864-2474
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