Barbara Fasterling

Bird Watching

  Her name is Barbara Fasterling, an artist and aviator lover from New Orleans who called Port Deposit her home from 1991 to 2001.

She became involved in many of the beautification committees and artistic groups and festivals in our town. Like many people who have settled here from the Louisiana area, the relationship with the architecture and the natural surrounding that you find in these two locations a thousand mile apart are similar.  Like New Orleans, Port Deposit is also close to a delta called the Susquehanna Flats at the head of the bay. We have some of the most diverse bird populations that live and migrate over our rich forests and naturally abundant rivers and bay. As for the architecture not so long ago many referred to our second floor porches and railings as "New Orleans-esque".

Barbara had a love of bird and all things nature, in 1997 Barbara she began circulating a petition to the local townspeople to survey their desire to honor and protect this natural resource. It took close to two years to get the necessary paperwork and approvals from our town government. In May of 1999, her effort was realized and the town officially approved designating the incorporated town limits as a wildlife sanctuary.

Port Deposit is the First incorporated town registered with the Maryland Ornithological Society. We are pursuing the inquiry as to is there another town in the United States to do so.

Barbara never lost her love of Louisiana and returned in 2001 to pursue her artistic venture. She has since then moved on Alaska, the ultimate wilderness and wildlife refuge.

Her family still has residence in our town and is still active in the community.