[MDOsprey] Re: is "here" in DC or MD? (Pelican-wise, that is)
Phil Davis (pdavis@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 20 Aug 1999 03:53:15 -0400
At 09:46 PM 08/19/1999 -0400, Robert Weiner wrote:
>A local fisherman/boater had a reasonably detailed depth map of the
>Potomac. According to the map (as best we could interpet it), the snags
>are located in an area labeled "spoilage" ranging between 3 and 8 feet
>deep (the navigable part of the river is narrow there, and close to the VA
>side), and at least 75 feet, and possibly as much as 100 feet northeast
>into MD of the invisible (for now at least) diagonal boundary. As a DC
>birder, I would be extremely pleased if Todd was correct that the snags
>are in DC waters, but they do not appear to be so from the depth chart.
We could settle the question of the snags pretty easily ... anyone have a
skiff? I've got GPS ...
I pulled out a couple of my mapping programs tonight. I used Precision Map
3.0 and Delorme Street Atlas 5.0--Rand McNally Street Finder is worthless
for this stuff. Here are some pelican watching factiods ...
Remember, these are all derived from the software and I have not been back
to the site (in the middle of the night ...) to do a reality check.
1. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge runs about 3659' from shore to shore (about
.7 mile). The bridge runs practically due east from Jones Point.
2. The immediate VA shore line runs practically due north from the bridge.
3. The point at which the MD/DC boundary leaves the VA shoreline and
angles from VA to MD appears to be about 450 ft south of the WW Bridge. If
you follow the VA shore line south from the bridge, at the point where the
land cuts back sharply toward VA, this is the point of departure of the
boundary. From here, the boundary angles off toward MD at an angle of
about 37-40 degrees as measured counter-clockwise from due east (i.e.,
imagine an due east line that runs parallel to the WW Bridge and then turn
about 40 degrees to the north). You should now be looking right along the
boundary and this should line up with the southern point of land at the
entrance to Oxon Creek (this point is known as Fox Ferry). The distance
from the VA shore to the MD shore is about 5126 feet, almost a mile (.97).
4. By the way, according to all my map program, the boundary follows the
VA shore until it angles off toward MD--there is no portion of land in VA
that belongs to MD. [These programs use the Census Bureau TIGER database
for their boundaries and other things, so they should be fairly accurate).
5. The boundary crosses under the WW Bridge about 500 feet from the VA
shoreline.
6. Let's move our point of reference back up to underneath the WW Bridge
at Jones Point (since the view may be obstructed from the reference point
described above). From underneath the bridge, again, the bridge it self
runs due east. Rotate about 20-25 degrees and you should be staring at the
shoreline that is the entrance to Oxon Cove--it is about 3588 feet from
where you are standing (about 2/3 of a mile).
7. Keep rotating towards the north until you have facing about 35-40
degrees north from the bridge. The southern portion of shore at the inlet
is the entrance to Oxon Creek. This is approximately where the DC/MD
boundary hits the shore (just a tad south of the southern tip of
land). The distance to this point is about 1.2 miles. I don't know if you
can see it due to the elevation, but if you can see where I-295 begins to
cross Oxon Creek (from the south), you are staring at the DC/MD border.
8. One last reference point. Keep rotating and you should see an island
in the river opposite the Oxon Creek inlet. This is Goose Island and the
bearing to the center of the island should be about 65-68 degrees north
(left) of the bridge. The distance to the island from the bridge at Jones
Pt is about 1.14 miles.
Well, I hope this makes sense ... and I hope it helps more than it may
confuse ... Remember, I have not field tested any of this.
Phil
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Phil Davis
home: PDavis@ix.netcom.com Davidsonville, Maryland USA
work: PDavis@OAO.com Greenbelt, Maryland USA
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