Our August issue features trailering your boat around the Chesapeake Bay. Thankfully, more and more parks are getting involved in creating boat ramps to make water access easier. Here is an update from Mike Lofton, chair of the Anne Arundel Public Water Access Committee. For more, see our August issue, on newsstands July 15! Ft. Smallwood Park launch ramp.  Construction bids have been received.  Award of a contract may take up to four months.  The contract will allow up to one year for construction.  Thus, the ramp will not likely open til 2016.
  • Homeport Farm Park is officially open. The old entrance farm lane is closed. The new entrance is off the small traffic circle on Homeport Drive right off of Route 2. For now the road down to the parking area is a dirt road. And right now it doesn't look like a dirt road, it looks like a very wide mowed path through the field and down the hill. Go ahead and drive on it.
  • Shady Side Park: there will be a ribbon cutting for the water access point. Date TBD. In the meantime the water access point is open so go ahead and use it.  You can reach the beaches of Shady Cove Natural Area from Shady Side Park. There is no land access planned for Shady Cove Natural Area.
  • Weinberg Park will open on a limited schedule in the near future. Date & details TBD.
  • Spriggs Farm Park: We cannot yet drive into the lower level of Spriggs Farm Park. We can land at Spriggs. We can also use the roadside parking area in the upper level of Spriggs near the Spriggs Farmhouse and whatever roadside parking we can find outside the park near the lower level.
  • Mayo Beach Park: There will be 5 open days at Mayo Beach Park this summer. The dates are August 3rd, August 17th, September 17th, September 21 and October 5th.
  • Franklin Pt State Park.  An agreement between Md DNR and the West-Rhode Riverkeeper that will provide access is under review.