As part of Project Clean Stream Day, the Caroline County Bird Club will be holding a garbage cleanup of the Myrtle Simon Pelot Sanctuary and nearby area on Saturday, April 2 in conjunction with the Friends of Gravelly Branch.
All volunteers welcome! Dress appropriately and bring work gloves if possible.
This sanctuary was purchased in 1972 using a bequest to the Maryland Ornithological Society from Mrs. Myrtle Pelot of Ridgely, MD. It is approximately 60 acres of deciduous swamp forest varying from 9 to 20 feet above sea level.
Originally the land was part of an old mill property with Draper Mill Road forming the dam, which impounded Gravelly Branch. The dam washed out in 1937, and the rich pond sediments now support a thriving forest. It is located in the Red Bridges area of the Choptank River, an area that local birders have enjoyed for years. Pelot Sanctuary is an oasis for flowers, birds, and other fauna in the midst of a predominantly agricultural area.
A marked trail begins at the sanctuary sign and there is a rest area with benches approximately 200 yards in on the left. There is parking along the road near the bridge.
| Directions: | |
|
|
|
|
|
