Harpers

The army had no men near Harpers Ferry.

At Harpers Ferry, between tree covered hills, the Potomac breaks through the Blue Ridge Mountains and meets the Shenandoah River, creating one of the most dramatic vistas in the watershed.

Until recently, the last time anyone in Harpers Ferry heard the call of a peregrine falcon, was fifty years ago. This crow-sized raptor, whose natural range is the rugged coastal areas in North America, was nearly decimated by the pesticide DDT. Since the toxin was banned in 1972, the peregrine has made a slow but dramatic recovery.

The peregrine falcon was removed from the endangered species list a few years ago. Programs to protect the bird are active in many states in rocky coastal areas of the United States. Park Ranger Bill Hebb says their return to former nesting sites at Harpers Ferry has reestablished an important link to America's ecological past.