Part 2 in a series by Todd Holden about Scott’s Creek in Delta. Part 1 can be read here: Massacre at Scott Creek: A Veritable Rummage Sale of Unwanted Household Furnishings Litter Delta Railroad Line.
Recently I visited some families living very close to Bunker Hill Road along Scott’s Creek, on the north side of Delta. More folks know this once pristine area as a ‘convenient dumping place’ to drop off the old, flea-ridden sofa or the washing machine that took a dump just before the holidays. It’s just not the right thing to do, to take stuff that could easily go elsewhere and nonchalantly load it up in the pick-up and drive over to Bunker Hill Road, making sure the coast is clear, and passing the shiny new signs that warn ‘dumpers’ of a $1,000 fine for littering. But hell, you have to catch them to fine them.
The old system of walking down the embankment and going through some of the trash in hopes of finding a name, address…anything to link that particular trash heap with the person to whom it belonged…could provide some good detective work.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the person who dumped it, but it’s a start in deterring the dumping. I urge anyone reading this to keep in mind that I honestly don’t think we’re dealing with a lot of nasty folks who use this tranquil area for their trash. My guess would be it’s only a few daring folks who continue to litter along Scott’s Creek.
Three of the people I met with recently said it’s still a problem. One lady who was walking her beagle along the road as I approached her said it’s still bad, and she carries a cell phone with her in case she comes upon someone littering. She said the roadway was clearer now, but that could change any time. She lives on Watson Road and takes daily walks with her dog along Bunker Hill. She couldn’t pick a more pristine area for a healthy walk with her dog. This is what Scott’s Creek is all about, a place of beauty in nature, where a very historic wooden trestle built for the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad many years ago still stands.
It’s in disrepair now, long overlooked and ignored by everyone, but not the tall sycamore trees and poplar and oak that have fell across the roadbed. Still, there’s a subtle beauty of this structure, still standing, but lingering in old age and frailty.
Other towns spend tons of money to ‘recreate’ a place like Delta already has. Big shots came and went to town meetings to speak of a trail similar to the Ma and Pa Trail in Harford County.
I listened to the proponents and the opponents and then the axe fell when the estimated costs of such a project in Delta were discussed. On top of the current state of affairs for many working folks, being eaten alive by taxes, the high cost of living and health care, the price tag of replenishing nature fell on deaf ears, including mine.
The plan didn’t have the Mojo of the existing Bunker Hill Road stretch along Scott’s Creek. There are just no reasons why this meandering trail couldn’t become a gemstone of Delta. If you don’t believe me, visit the road and see for yourself.
Looking closely out over the side of the road one will see the tons of trash, but if you are in the car and just driving by, you see the beauty only, and that’s a good thing, although it might mislead some people to think there is no problem there.
There is, but it’s not unsolvable. Another resident nearby said it’s a disgrace to have the trash so close to a relic of Delta’s history, tied in with the railroad that used to run from Baltimore to York, with spurs all along the way for produce, fuel, and milk.
More of you are aware of the problem, and again, I don’t think we’re in as bad a shape as we could be. Some of the roads that are still unpaved in both York County and Harford County are sadly also used to dump what folks don’t want.
If more people used Bunker Hill Road, there would be less chance of someone using it for dumping. Maybe it’s asking too much from our younger readers to use this little, rough road every now and then when they’re on their way home, just to bring a little more awareness when it’s dark outside.
This is just a thought, and maybe you have a better one to keep this idea alive and well and doing some good. We have “Save The Rocks” out there, doing a job to keep a pristine natural area free from ‘over doing good doers’ like the federal government.
We aren’t that deep in bureaucracy yet with Scott’s Creek, we have the power and control to do what is best without ‘uncle’ breathing down our necks. It’s an opportunity to do some good the old fashioned way…seeing a problem, taking some action to solve the problem and hopefully eliminate it.
Then, we’d all have something that has grown into something more for everyone’s benefit.
Think about it, now an eyesore, tomorrow and beyond a beautiful place for everyone, even the reformed litterers, to enjoy, to take pictures, to hike, walk and escape the routine without going to a health club or the treadmill in the basement.
The best notion, too, is that of the townspeople of Delta getting together to solve the problem and make things better…that’s the ticket.
You don’t have to go up to Delta to see this. It frequently happens on Cedar Lane which runs between Wheel Rd. and Rt. 136. This would be a beautiful, pristine back road if not for all the trash and the tell-tale signs of illegal four wheeling.