Some residents of Daniels Road in Ellicott City are complaining about homosexual activity in the Daniels portion of the Patapsco Valley State Park, which has gained a reputation over the years as a gathering spot for gay men. But park spokesmen and Howard County police deny there's a problem.

"There's so much traffic down there it's incredible, and it's all these men, and that's all you ever see," said Kathy Kirchner, who lives at the corner of Daniels Road and Old Frederick Road. "It's worse than ever."

But Richard McIntire, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, said park officials patrolling the area have witnessed no illegal activity.

"There have been problems in the past, but there have been no reports of activity this year," he said.

Sgt. Morris Carroll, a spokesman for the Howard County Police Department, said he had heard no recent reports of illegal activity on Daniels Road.

The area made headlines two summers ago, when park officials charged four men with "unnatural sex acts," and Howard County police charged two men with similar offenses, said John Surrick, another DNR spokesman. Last summer, there were two arrests.

"When I take my nephews down there, I always have to be aware of what's ahead," said Sandy Roemer, a resident of Daniels Road and a frequent park user. "You don't want to feel that way in a park."

But McIntire said park officials can't arrest people just because the area has a bad reputation.

"Obviously it seems like once an area has a particular reputation it's hard to remove that stigma, but at the present time there really is nothing to report," he said.

Pub Date: 3/08/99