New Trails Coming to Anne Arundel County?

New Trails Coming to Anne Arundel County?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2008
Contact
Michael Klasmeier

Millersville, MD -- The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE) have entered into agreement to survey the current state of trails in the Severn Run Natural Environment Area. The process will involve volunteers cataloguing the current trails and ascertaining their viability as part of a sustainable trail system on the 1800 acre piece of land.

Severn Run NEA encompasses the headwaters of the Severn River in the Millersville area. Currently the piece of land situated in the central part of Anne Arundel county and is underutilized. MORE's partnership with DNR is purposefully limited to feasibility for multi-use trails. If the soil and topography are appropriate for natural surface trails, design and construction could begin in early 2009.

'Many hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers head to Rosaryville State Park 30 miles to the south or Patapsco Valley State Park 25 miles to the north. There are no other large tracts of land in the immediate area for these users,' said Patrice Miller, Maryland Advocacy Director for MORE, an all-volunteer group that does trail maintenance and development in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. 'Where there are trail users, there are people willing to act as stewards of the land to ensure it maintains its natural beauty.'

MORE is interested in getting hikers and equestrians involved in volunteering for this project. 'It will benefit everyone in the area to have a sustainable, healthy activity that is easily accessible,' said Michael Klasmeier, a member of MORE and local resident. 'I'll have my kids out there every chance I get. This is something great for the citizens of Anne Arundel county.'

Founded in 1992, MORE is a 501c (3) representing thousands of area mountain bikers. MORE maintains over 250 miles of natural surface trails in 25 parks around the region. Members contribute over 3,400 hours of volunteer labor annually, and have opened or constructed over 80 miles of new trail since 1995. The club leads hundreds of rides each year at local parks. MORE is committed to environmentally sound and socially responsible mountain biking, facilitating recreational trail cycling, educating about the sport of mountain biking, maintaining local trails, and advocating for increased multi-user trail access.


Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov.