Who we are:
The Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park is comprised of an all-volunteer Board of Directors that represents the diverse users of the park. The BOD works to increase accessibility and inclusivity at Maryland’s first State Park.
These folks contribute their expertise, time, and energy to make PVSP a park for all users.
Having grown up next to Patapsco Valley State Park, board member Bruce Clopein considers it to be his oldest friend. An avid kayaker, camper, and hiker, he focuses on adaptive and inclusive programming as Friends moves forward in our vision to make Patapsco a park for all.
Growing up on the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Chanelle Wimbish has always loved the water and the outdoors. That is why she was so elated to find the Adaptive Programs at Patapsco Valley State Park in August of 2021 as a person with a disability. She has participated in all three Adaptive Programs- biking, hiking, and kayaking- but loves kayaking the most. Before finding the FPVSP, she had participated in several other Adaptive Sports/Activities such as competitive swimming, snow skiing, water skiing, mountain biking, hand cycling, kayaking, rowing, and scuba diving. Chanelle looks forward to bringing the disability perspective to the group in order to help expand the Adaptive Programming to all interested persons.
Having grown up less than a mile from the Patapsco’s Daniels area, Harry enjoyed fishing below the dam for rainbow trout. As a park user, he enjoys fishing, canoeing, and hiking. Harry has been involved in connecting groups like Project Healing Waters to PVSP.
Eric has 25 years of trail advocacy experience in and around the Baltimore region organizing park users from all walks of life to become stewards of our amazing parklands. He’s dabbled in just about every way to play in the Valley but his favorites are mountain biking and hiking, with a little trail running sprinkled in to keep the skills sharp.
Bill Wheeler has 33 years of experience wandering around in Patapsco Valley State Park. Mountain biking, running, hiking, exploring. As Vice President of the Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park Board, Bill works to improve all parts of the visitor experience through fundraising and working on initiatives to keep the park clean and up to date.
Angela Hayes is a stay-at-home mom that manages her two kids’ busy schedules. She refers to her role as the “CEO of the Hayes Family.” Among the many roles a mom, she still makes time for nature. Through her love of trail running, hiking, and road cycling, you will find her at Patapsco on any given day.
Gabrielle Roffe is a Baltimore native, who has spent a lot of time at Patapsco Valley State Park hiking the trails with her dog Ocho and searching for pollinators. Gabrielle leads bilingual Spanish programming at various Maryland State parks including Patapsco. She is the Manager of Equity and Community Engagement at Chesapeake Conservancy, and a partnership staff with the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways Network. Gabrielle seeks to redefine environmental stewardship and connect underrepresented communities to nature through creative placemaking.
Eric Ebersole is a Maryland State Legislator representing District 12 which contains a large swath of Patapsco Valley State Park. He lives in Catonsville which is a community neighbor to the park. He was formerly a public school teacher for 35 years in Howard County and values the educational potential of Patapsco. “I love Patapsco State Park because it is so close to my community and offers so many different things to do. But mostly I love it for its size and the fact that I can get deep enough into it that I get a feel of wilderness. It is a unique jewel nestled into our urban setting.
Helen has served entities like the American Visionary Art Museum, UNESCO, and Senator Ted Kennedy, as a marketing and communications professional. She’s equally devoted to getting outdoors to hike, kayak, and horseback ride, and considers the Daniels Area of Patapsco Valley State Park as one of the state’s best staycations.
Cecilia has two years of experience exploring the various wonders of Patapsco Valley State Park through hiking and mountain biking. She has served in various leadership positions and loves to give back to the community. She will do her best to voice the youth of Patapsco Valley State Park, that being said, please feel free to reach out to her!
Dave has 25 years of experience in the nonprofit world, previously raising resources and running programs in museums and cultural institutions. An avid hiker, mountain biker, paddler and almost all other things outdoors, he lives in the Patapsco Valley and you will likely run into him on the trails. You can email Dave here
header photo by Bonnie Ott