Bosley Wright, Executive Vice President,
Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock
2501 Greenspring Valley Rd,
Owings Mills, MD 21117
Daytime phone: 410-761-7727
The BOJC trustees voted to send this letter regarding water
quality monitoring on Big Hunting Creek and copies were sent in
the fall of 2011 to the people listed at the conclusion. The
situation continues to unfold, ever so slowly.
Greetings:
Our youth fishing organization, whose history has been intertwined with that of the Catoctin
state and national parks since their collective inception three quarters of a century ago, has become
concerned recently about the state of water quality monitoring on Big Hunting Creek downstream from
the dam at Hunting Creek Lake.
A little background is in order. The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock, which annually instructs
several hundred young people in the sport of fly fishing, was coming into being at the same time as the
federal park was being established along the banks of Big Hunting Creek. Indeed, many of the founders
of the Brotherhood are also people who had substantial roles in establishing the state and federal parks
in the early days of the endeavor.
Historically, Big Hunting Creek has been an important location in the establishment of fly fishing as the sport it is today. U.S. presidents have fished its waters for wild trout, and it was among the
first places in the nation where fish for fun rules required that fish caught be returned to the water
unharmed after capture. Its management was a successful model for a tradition among fly anglers as is
evidenced by the long standing fish for fun regulations that remain in place on Big Hunting Creek and
that have been put into effect on streams and lakes across the state and nation.
An important attribute possessed by Big Hunting Creek that has made it a storied sport fishery
for trout anglers has been its substantial populations of wild brook and brown trout. Though supplemented by the stocking of hatchery raised rainbow trout, it is the self-sustaining stocks of wild brown
and brook trout that provide substantial year-round sport for anglers throughout the region, including
many of the young people associated with the Brotherhood’s chapters in Maryland and the surrounding
states.
Indeed, a significant landmark on the banks of Big Hunting Creek is the Joe Brooks memorial,
which bears the Creed of the Brotherhood, a creed whose goal is to pass along the traditions of fly fishing and environmental conservation from one generation to the next. Mr. Brooks was one of those who
established the Brotherhood.
The Brooks Memorial stands in the shadow of the dam that created Hunting Creek Lake. Construction of the dam was an endeavor that was a matter of substantial concern for those of us who grew
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up fishing the stream. In the 1970s, when the impoundment was being planned, there was considerable
concern among anglers that the recreational amenities of the planned lake would take precedence over
the long established recreational amenities afforded by the wild trout in Big Hunting Creek. A coalition
of organizations was able to secure assurances from the state that a balance would be struck. To that
end, water quality monitoring requirements and minimum flow assurances were written into the permit
for the dam.
The resulting monitoring and fisheries management practices have combined to make for a
stream below the lake that is every bit as fine a fishery as was in place prior to the existence of the lake.
At present, the Maryland Parks Service remains required under the terms of a water appropriation permit from the Maryland Department of Environment to monitor water quality (notably flow,
temperature and dissolved oxygen).
It has come to our attention that, unfortunately, the equipment used for monitoring the water
quality in Big Hunting Creek below the dam is in use beyond its useful life. Lately, daily monitoring
has been conducted by sending someone out with a thermometer to record the temperature as well as to
check the staff gauge (a glorified ruler).
This has been supplemented over the years by the Maryland Inland Fisheries Service, which
installs a continuously recording thermograph during the summer months.
It is our concern, however, that the Maryland Parks Service may fall short in its obligation to
monitor water quality below the dam on Big Hunting Creek unless more modern monitoring equipment
is purchased and installed. It is our understanding that a basic system that would allow for round the
clock, modem-capable monitoring has been reviewed by state personnel and would cost in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $12,000.
The concerns we have about the current situation are two-fold.
First is the matter that a stream with a flow as small as Big Hunting Creek’s could easily be
affected in the off season by things like ice buildup. A substantial blockage for a few hours could go
unnoticed after a daily temperature and flow check visit, yet could have detrimental effects on the wild
fish population for years.
Moreover, there is the matter of wise use of resources, in this case personnel resources. While no
government should take lightly the expenditure of even a nickel of taxpayer money, and the purchase of
a water monitoring system costing in the $10,000 to $12,000 range bears scrutiny, it’s worth pointing
out that valuable staffing time is eaten up each day when a state employee is obliged to go out and take
a temperature reading.
This is not to say that the new equipment would pay for itself. Indeed, this would take a few
years if an hour a day were consumed. The quality of the collected data, however, is likely to increase a
hundredfold or more with new equipment, and the freeing up of a few dozen personnel hours each year
would only be a bonus.
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It also is worth noting that the ability to fish for wild trout in a pristine setting like Big Hunting
Creek constitutes an important tourist draw as people travel to the area year round from throughout the
Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas to pursue these fish. The degradation of such a valuable resource because of an inability to adequately monitor water quality could translate into a substantial loss
to the local tourist economy.
It is our hope that funding for a modern water quality monitoring system for Big Hunting Creek
below the Hunting Creek Lake dam can be found in the coming months as part of the ongoing effort to
ensure the valuable resources we have inherited can, in turn, be passed along to future generations.
Bosley Wright
Executive Vice President
Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock
In the hope that they can provide assistance in this matter, this correspondence is being sent to:
Sen. Joan Carter Conway, Co-Chair, Senate Environment Subcommittee
Frank W. Dawson, Assistant Secretary for Aquatic Resources, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Del. Barbara A. Frush, Chair, House Environment Subcommittee
Marty Gary, Constituent & Development, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
John R. Griffin, Secretary, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Del. Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., Chair, House Natural Resources Subcommittee
Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, Co-Chair, Senate Environment Subcommittee
Nita Settina, Superintendent, Department of Natural Resources Maryland Park Service
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