I have enjoyed getting to know some of our streams, otherwise known as stormwater management channels, this Fall while working with our Green Towson Alliance stream cleanups. We first did the Herring Run branch from Towson High School, under the Aigburth Avenue bridge, northward to Radebaugh Park all the way up to near Burke Avenue. We GTAers also did a portion of the Herring Run branch behind the St. Andrews Lutheran Church on Taylor Avenue. I have explored a portion of the branch near my home that I had largely been unaware existed. Various sections of these mostly ignored streams are beautiful. They have an overstory of large trees, many large boulders, and water.There is not a more scenic spot to be found than the branch of Herring Run adjacent 
to Goucher Boulevard from Calvert Hall to Loch Raven Boulevard. The section behind the St. Andrews Lutheran Church on Taylor Avenue is also quite beautiful and a nice place in the woods to enjoy a few hours out in nature so close to home. I have driven to the countryside many times to find the same experience. When the streamside boardwalk proposed for Radebaugh Park is built we can better reveal and interpret that stream. It would be nice to be able to remove some of the invasive vegetation in the sunny forest edges that diminish the view into the stream buffers and streams. These streams may not be considered viable “open space”, but with more people walking around their communities for exercise during the pandemic, they can be little gems to discover.
to Goucher Boulevard from Calvert Hall to Loch Raven Boulevard. The section behind the St. Andrews Lutheran Church on Taylor Avenue is also quite beautiful and a nice place in the woods to enjoy a few hours out in nature so close to home. I have driven to the countryside many times to find the same experience. When the streamside boardwalk proposed for Radebaugh Park is built we can better reveal and interpret that stream. It would be nice to be able to remove some of the invasive vegetation in the sunny forest edges that diminish the view into the stream buffers and streams. These streams may not be considered viable “open space”, but with more people walking around their communities for exercise during the pandemic, they can be little gems to discover.
– Avery Harden is a former Baltimore County landscape architect and a member of Green Towson Alliance. Besides giving GTA advice on neighborhood issues, Avery volunteers regularly to help clean streams and plant trees in many Towson neighborhoods. The photographs shown in this article were taken by his wife, LuYuan.