Jul 6, 2008 1:02 pm US/Eastern
More Rangers Will Watch Area Reservoirs
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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A new generation of rangers will soon be watching the area's reservoirs.
AP
Protecting and patrolling the city's watershed is an important job, but there is not enough law enforcement to do it.
As
Tim Williams reports, a new generation of rangers will soon be watching the area's reservoirs.
As they train for an upcoming triathlon, Gail Fowler and her follow cyclists are comforted by the presence of a watershed ranger nearby.
"When you're riding here, there's a lot of woods and stuff like that. Some folks might not feel quite as comfortable if they're riding by themselves. So I'm sure having the rangers here would add that to it," said Fowler.
For now, there is only one ranger patrolling Baltimore's watershed. That may not seem like a big deal until you realize the watershed includes 17,000 square acres, distributed among the Prettyboy, Loch Raven and Liberty Reservoirs.
That ranger is Luke Brackett.
"I am the lone ranger for the moment. We have several applicants in the pipeline," said Brackett.
Brackett will soon be getting help to carry out a three-fold mission.
"Preserve the natural resources that are entrusted into our care. The second is to protect our dams and other critical infrastructure associated with the public water supply from any kind of abuse. The third is maintain a safe environment for appropriate types of recreation," said Brackett.
The Baltimore Department of Public Works is responsible for the watershed. Staff and local law enforcement currently maintain order.
"It's important to show a presence and have the enforcement as a police protection, as well as someone familiar and who's helpful," said David Scott with Department of Public Works.
The application process is underway and the public will soon notice more rangers at the reservoirs. The Department of Public Works hopes the rangers will be in place by this coming spring.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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