A beaver is back. Not the same beaver as before. That one's dam and lodge got washed out when Minebank Run, in Cromwell Valley State Park, flooded in spring of 2014.
But Bill Curtis is hopeful about this new beaver. Curtis, a ranger with the National Park Service and a Maryland Master Naturalist, spotted it recently on the trail cam he set up back in 2012 and that is still live at http://www.cromwellcrittercam.blogspot.com
Except for the inconvenience of periodic flooding, "Minebank Run is a reasonable place for a beaver to build a dam," said Curtis, a Rodgers Forge resident who splits his ranger responsibilities between Hampton National Historic Site, in Towson, and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, in Baltimore.
"The water's not too fast flowing. The banks aren't set too far apart. There's wood around and a food supply," said Curtis, who is hoping the beaver sticks around to build a home, attract a mate as the other beaver did, and continue the story of beavers in the Cromwell Valley State Park, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Road.
He'll let everyone know what happened in August when he is the final of three speakers in the Cromwell Valley Park Council's "A Night Out With Nature." The annual series runs June 5 with a talk on black bears; July 10, historic ships; and August 14, beavers.
Geared for adults, the series is held at the park's Sherwood House from 7 to 9 p.m. Reservations are required via info@cromwellvalleypark.org. The fee includes dessert.
Cromwell Valley State Park is a 426-acre state park that is leased to and run by Baltimore County Recreation and Parks Department. Kirk Dreier, senior naturalist at the park and in charge of the Sherwood House programs, said planning for "A Night Out" begins a year in advance.
"We put out a quarterly calendar so we have to have the programs arranged and also, the earlier you call speakers, the more likely they'll be available," Dreier said of "A Night Out," now in its seventh year.
Attendance at the program ranges from 25 to 40 people, depending on the topic. Popular topics have been the history of Loch Raven Reservoir, sustainable living and beavers, the talk given by a different expert than Curtis.
Pat Novak is president of the Cromwell Valley Park Council, an all-volunteer nonprofit that supports the park. "We provide funds for "A Night Out,'" she said of the $50 speaker's stipend and deserts that follow.
Novak estimates the park averages 100 visitors per day during the spring, summer and fall seasons. That figure includes dog walkers, bird watches and hikers but not the regular school field trips that bring over 1,000 children to the park in those seasons.
"We have weekend programs for kids, families and adults. We have monthly night-out programs. It's a mixed bag of programs," said Novak.
The Cromwell Valley Park Council is engaged in two capital projects to enhance the park. One project, for $100,000, is to stabilize three circa 1700s kilns in the park. "They can be used for educational programs," said Novak, who estimates the project will be done by 2017.
The second project, for $500,000, is to build an accessible nature trail for the handicapped. "We are building it from scratch and we are working with the Maryland School for the Blind on it," said Novak, who estimates a 2016 opening.
As for Curtis, he isn't surprised that the previous talk on beavers was popular. "There's a lot of interest in beavers," he said.