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Council weighs banning fishing at Pangborn Pond after repeated wildlife incidents
Summary
City staff and councilmembers debated whether to ban general fishing at Pangborn Pond following repeated incidents of fishing line entangling geese and ongoing enforcement challenges; the council signaled support for limiting fishing to monitored events and plans a formal vote at a regular session.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Hagerstown public-works staff urged the Mayor and Council on Feb. 11 to consider ending routine fishing at Pangborn Pond, saying enforcement has not stopped repeated incidents of fishing line entangling geese and that the site’s accessibility makes persistent violations difficult to prevent.
Eric Dyke, director of public works, told the council Pangborn Pond is one of two city locations open for fishing and is uniquely accessible with a walking path; Kiwanis Park and other waters are harder for residents to reach. Dyke said the Maryland Department of Natural Resources stocks the pond — “they stock about 1,200 fish or more every year,” he said — and that the city has received letters of support for keeping managed fishing from groups including the Antietam Fly Anglers and a Big Hunting Creek working group. Still, Dyke said staff recorded “2 or 3” incidents in the past year of wildlife harmed by fishing line.
Why it matters: Pangborn Pond is used for youth events and is designated to allow fishing by young people, seniors and people with mobility limitations. Councilmembers said they do not want to lose community events that depend on the pond, but they also raised concerns about recurring irresponsible behavior and the welfare of waterfowl.
Council deliberations and proposed approach: Several councilmembers said enforcement resources are limited and that repeat violators have undermined previous efforts such as signage, periodic cleanup and trimming vegetation. Some members favored restricting fishing to supervised, event-specific stocking and rodeos rather than allowing open, unsupervised fishing year-round. At the work session a council member summarized city staff’s recommendation and indicated the council should move to end general fishing at the pond, while allowing event-specific fishing under city supervision; the council directed that the matter be placed for a formal vote at the next regular session and that, if a ban is approved, staff must post notice and coordinate stopping stocking in advance of the season.
Ending: No final ban was enacted at the work session; councilmembers asked staff to bring a formal ordinance or motion to a regular session for a recorded vote and public notice if the council chooses to proceed.
