The Audubon Society of Central Maryland

-Submitted By: Robert Schaeffer

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The Audubon Society of Central Maryland (ASCM) owns and manages two wildlife sanctuaries in Frederick County’s Linganore Creek watershed. These sanctuaries are former farmland which is now managed to provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

The Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary consists of 129 acres on Old Annapolis Road and includes grasslands, meadows, wooded hillsides, and a substantial area of wetlands along the Woodville Branch. The land was left to the National Audubon Society in Audrey Carroll's will and was given to the local Frederick chapter for management in 1992.

The Fred J. Archibald Audubon Sanctuary consists of 140 acres on Boyer’s Mill Road. It also contains grasslands and meadows, but its most outstanding feature is a substantial area of mature forest in the valley of Cherry Run, which drains into Lake Linganore. It is adjacent to the town of New Market’s 100-acre woods. Fred J. Archibald was a writer for the Frederick News-Post and left his property to the ASCM in his will. The ASCM acquired the land in 2001.

Both of these sanctuaries contain trail networks which lead one through the various types of habitats and allow visitors to observe the various plant and wildlife communities. There are also substantial areas which contain no trails so that the wildlife can be undisturbed, which is essential for their breeding. When there are scheduled activites at the santuaries, the events are open to all. In general, the sanctuaries are open only to ACSM members to ensure that only activities that are compatible with the wildlife take place there. However, it is easy to become a member.

Much of the maintenance and habitat improvement work at the sanctuaries is done by volunteer workers. Several improvements at the sanctuaries have been the result of Eagle Scout projects, which not only benefit the sanctuaries but give young people a chance to participate in environmental improvement. Funds for support of the sanctuaries are raised by twice-a-year seed sales and by an annual native plant sale at the Audrey Carroll Sanctuary on the last Saturday of April.

The ASCM conducts occasional nature study walks at the sanctuaries, open to the public and advertised in local newspapers. It also conducts twice a year bird counts, in January and May at each sanctuary. These bird counts provide a record of population changes which may depend upon habitat changes within the sanctuaries or in surrounding lands. According to these bird counts, there has been a dramatic increase in Purple Martins and Tree Swallows most likely due to the nest boxes that have been installed in the sanctuaries. It has also been recorded that Ring-necked Pheasants have virtually disappeared most likely to the ending of the state stocking program and the fact that Pheasants generally do better farther north.

The ASCM is a Chapter of the National Audubon Society, and part of the Audubon MD-DC state organization. There are currently about 800 members in Howard, Frederick, Carroll, and Monogomery counties. Those interested in the Society’s activities, or in membership in the society, can refer to the ASCM web site at www.centralmdaudubon.org