Leonard Mill Run/Pond
Leonard Mill Run from the Park side
Tucked back behind the Wicomico County Tourist Center you can find a tranquil spot to sit back and enjoy the view of a peaceful stream. Bridges connect the two sides of the stream for easy access to either side. The stream is also deep enough to get a fishing rod out and catch a few striped bass (when in season). This picture shows Leonard Pond Run before the dam, where a quiet walk back into the woods leads you to a shaded area and beautiful scenery. If you choose to keep walking past the trail and follow the water, you'll end up in Johnson Pond. Walking through the woods isn't the only activity the stream/pond provides, you could even enjoy a beautiful canoe/kayak trail.
Each autumn the Leonard Mill Pond Association meets to go over the health of the pond ecosystem and designs plans to stay on a healthy track. Here you can find the Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative where "its purpose is to liaise with Wicomico County and other entities on pond-remediation issues, for example, periodic herbicide applications" (Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative). The Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative homepage also provides their history, annual meetings describing their posted agenda for the year, and the progress they have made.
Below are pictures of the dam on the Pond side and pictures of the dam where the water flows into Leonard Mill Pond Run. Here you will find greenbrier overgrowing other native species of plants. Water flowing from the pond into the dam brings various chemicals and surface runoff from highway 13. In the picture below with a local fishing for native species of fish, one can find severe turbidity (cloudy or muddy, Merriam-Webster dictionary) and stagnant water. This causes a darkish look to the water and decreases the depth at which you can see your lure near the bottom of the stream. If one ever sees oily coloration on the top of the water, "you may not want to drink it" (Chad Hoekzema).
Each autumn the Leonard Mill Pond Association meets to go over the health of the pond ecosystem and designs plans to stay on a healthy track. Here you can find the Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative where "its purpose is to liaise with Wicomico County and other entities on pond-remediation issues, for example, periodic herbicide applications" (Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative). The Leonard Mill Pond Collaborative homepage also provides their history, annual meetings describing their posted agenda for the year, and the progress they have made.
Below are pictures of the dam on the Pond side and pictures of the dam where the water flows into Leonard Mill Pond Run. Here you will find greenbrier overgrowing other native species of plants. Water flowing from the pond into the dam brings various chemicals and surface runoff from highway 13. In the picture below with a local fishing for native species of fish, one can find severe turbidity (cloudy or muddy, Merriam-Webster dictionary) and stagnant water. This causes a darkish look to the water and decreases the depth at which you can see your lure near the bottom of the stream. If one ever sees oily coloration on the top of the water, "you may not want to drink it" (Chad Hoekzema).
There are three parts that make up Leonard Pond. The first part is the development of homes that surround the right side of the pond. This is important for the Pond's health because with the increase in impervious surfaces, surface runoff is more prominent. The second part of the pond is where you will find the dam that separates Leonard Mill Run from the Pond. Just follow the stream and do a little bushwhacking and you will end up at the headwater of Johnson Pond. The third part is the upstream of the pond where it converts into a swamp again.
