Letters to the Editor

Volume VII Number 9
March 4-10, 1999

Appreciation: Holly and Shomette

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

I would like to express my appreciation for the very fine Bay Reflection "In Memory: David Holly" written by Donald G. Shomette and published in your February 18-24 edition.

The purpose of this letter is to paraphrase the quotation from David Holly with which the article opens and see if it fits Donald Shomette as well. The quotation as applied to Mr. Shomette would be "I haunt the Bay and, in turn, the Bay haunts me."

This is based upon my reading of several books about the Bay written by Donald Shomette --

• Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake.
• Pirates on the Chesapeake.
• Tidewater Time Capsule -- History Beneath The Patuxent: An excellent account of the War of 1812 flotilla commanded by Commodore Barney and the effort to locate the wrecks.
• Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay -- And Other Tales of the Lost Chesapeake: This book covers the World War I attempt to build "a bridge of ships" to support the war in Europe and the effort to locate and record the location of these sunken ships in a small bay off the Potomac River. It also gives an outstanding account of the history and archaeological investigation of the earliest European settlement in Maryland, Kent Island.

They are all good reading and excellent history.

--Thomas Williamson, Churchton

Keep Sunday Safe for Non-Hunters

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

Have you looked at the Maryland map? Isn’t it wonderful how many green or park areas there are? Not really. Did you know that over 60 percent of them are effectively closed to Marylanders other than hunters for about six months, because 60 percent of the ‘green’ areas are open to hunting?

Now Senate Bill 566 and House Bill 906 would add Sundays to hunters’ six days of the week.

The bills’ claims that "Sunday hunting will be on certain registered land parcels only" is a joke. There are many good hunters, but many others don’t pay attention to private or private/public property lines. For example, I have personally in Maryland on Saturdays:

1. Had a hunter aim his high-powered bow at me as I strolled around a corner on a wide public road in Calvert County;

2. At a Boy Scout event inside Patapsco State Park in northern Anne Arundel County, had a rifle-toting hunter threaten Scouts until police came;

3. Often told ‘lost’ hunters that they were illegally inside well-marked Jug Bay Nature Sanctuary and within 20 feet of public hiking trails, in southern Anne Arundel County;

4. Three months ago watched three rifle-carrying hunters at 5am, a mile inside Baltimore’s Boy Scout camp, run away as they heard us drive up;

5. Looked up from public trails with posted no-hunting signs to see deer hunters in tree stands, rifles in hand;

6. Had a deer hunter attempt to hide himself and his rifle behind a tree as a group of Boy Scouts and I hiked a trail a mile inside a well-posted no-hunting Scout camp;

7. Been unable to kayak or canoe on Maryland tidal creeks October to January during duck and waterfowl seasons except on Sundays -- and now these bills threaten our Sunday trips.

Yes, let’s reduce the deer population through more and better Monday through Saturday hunting. But please contact your legislators in Annapolis and help keep one day a week -- Sunday -- safe for outdoor enthusiasts … it’s only fair!

--Dave Linthicum, North Beach

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

I was glad to see my friend Max the Labrador retriever on the cover of New Bay Times [Feb. 4-10] Your "Sweet Talk" article [Feb. 11-17] was excellent, too.

--Elizabeth Weir,
Lake Bloomington, Illinois