On the Wild Side

On the Wild Side. [Mount Harmon Plantation]. As you continue along the Pond Trail, keep a look out for deer, eagles, great blue herons, owls, ducks, geese, foxes, beaver and osprey. The fields, wooded areas, ponds and marshes at Mount Harmon attract an array of wildlife.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed , Mount Harmon is located along a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay , the largest estuary in the U. S. The Chesapeake combines freshwater from its rivers with saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean, creating diverse ecosystems for wildlife. Wetlands and marshes , such as those found at Mount Harmon , serve as important filtering systems within the Bay watershed.

[Inscription beside the image in the lower left] , A watershed is an area or region where all of the water flows to a river, lake, or bay or ocean. The Chesapeake Bay watershed covers 64,000 square miles, stretching from New York to Virginia.

Stewardship , Mount Harmon actively supports watershed conservation. As part of a Conservation Program, the surrounding fields are planted in perennial grasses to help prevent soil from eroding into nearby waters. Also, Mount Harmon’s 200 acres of open space is a designated nature preserve, where native plants and wildlife are protected., [photo caption, top left] White-tailed deer, Michael Land photo , [photo caption, top center] Great blue heron, Michael Land photo