SNOW HILL – County officials agreed to seek technical assistance from the state in planning for the future of Greys Creek Nature Park.
The Worcester County Commissioners this week approved a request from Paige Hurley, the county’s director of recreation and parks, to seek assistance from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Public Access Water Trails and Recreation Planning Program. It is hoped the program will assist Worcester County in developing a plan for water access and water trails in Greys Creek Nature Park, which is located in northern Worcester County near Bishopville.
“The proximity between our upland trails and potential water access sites is unpredictable to say the least,” Hurley said. “We are therefore requesting DNR’s assistance to explore the possibility of adding water trails to complement our prospective land trails as a means to developing a more comprehensive solution for the important environmental site.”
The 574-acre Greys Creek Nature Park is situated on land once owned by Doug Weidman. The county acquired the ecologically significant property in 2006, through the use of Program Open Space funds, to protect it and eliminate the threat of residential or commercial development in what is known as one of the region’s most biologically diverse areas.
Hurley said his department maintains the park and has spent the past several years identifying upland trails. There are now plans to explore potential water access sites within the park.
According to Bill Rodriguez, the county’s parks superintendent, the project slowed following the last recession but is now moving forward.
“We took the property in 2006 with the goal of turning it into a passive recreation site and environmental education center,” he said. “We’ve gone through some rough times economically over that period of time. We’ve had time to sit back and take a look at the property and see how we could best use the property to maximize the potential of it. It’s kind of good that it worked out that way because there’s certain elements that have been identified that wouldn’t have been identified upfront had we gone forward with the project back in 2006.”
Through the state’s Public Access Water Trails and Recreation Planning Program, the county is requesting technical assistance to conduct surveys and plan for potential water access along Greys Creek and Swan Gut. Ideally, the work will take place this fall.
Rodriguez said staff from the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) was in the process of developing a comprehensive concept plan for the park. The plan, which the MCBP will present to the county in early 2018, will identify the organization’s passive recreation and environmental education ideas for the site.
“I think what you’ll find is lots of sustainable features,” Rodriguez said. “I think there’s a strong potential to attract some ecotourism along that parcel.”
Commissioner Jim Bunting praised Rodriguez’s work in addressing previous concerns presented by residents of Hidden Harbor, the development initially considered the access point to the park.
“The folks from Hidden Harbor were very concerned about public access through the development and rightfully so,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been able to locate another access point further down Williamsville Road … That was a nice aspect to this. Had we forged ahead with this in 2006 that opportunity might not have yielded itself.”
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Greys Creek application to the Public Access Water Trails and Recreation Planning Program.
