Protect "The Everglades of the North" - Intro

The Blackwater Wildlife refuge, a 27,000 acre refuge of marshland for the threatened bald eagle and endangered Delmarva fox squirrel, is under attack. Designated a critical wetlands area, the marshes provide important habitat for over 250 species of birds, is a major wintering route under the Atlantic flyway (the main route taken by many migratory birds), is home to the largest colony of nesting bald eagles in the 48 states except for Florida, and acts as a major nursery for much of the Chesapeake Bay life - seafood many watermen up and down the Bay depend on for their livilihood. It has earned the nickname of "The Everglades of the North" because of its size and variety of wildlife.

Since 1938, over 8,000 acres of marshland has been lost at the rate of about 130 acres per year. Once recognizable channels and ponds are now submerged. A US Geological Survey study predicts that by 2050, most of the marshland will be open water. In effect, the marshland is drowning.

The largest contribitors to the marsh's decline has been the introduction of nutria, a South American rodent broght to the marshes to boost the fur trade, rising sea levels that alter the salinity of the marsh, and an increase in wave energy produced from the ever-expanding open water.

While the managers of the wetlands work with Baltimore's National Aquarium and the Army Corps of Engineers to restore the marsh, a new threat looms on the horizon. A developer has won approval to build an 800 acre resort comprising of 2,700 homes, a 100-room hotel, a conference center, a retail center, and a golf course next to the refuge. Three hundred thirteen of the acres will cut through the designated critical habitat of the wetlands. Normally, that means very strict building guidelines need to be followed in critical areas. For example, new homes must be separated by 20 acres of land; every tree a property owner cuts down must be replaced with a new tree; vegetation destroyed for other than maintence of an existing lawn must be replaced in certain percentages elsewhere on the property. These laws are waived for the developer of the Blackwater resort.

To date, no environmental impact study has been completed. Mangers of the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, however, have expressed their concern. The project is only hundreds of feet away from the Little Black River, which feeds directly into the wildlife refuge. They estimated the project would add 12-13% more impervious surface to the area (roads and parking lots). With soil already sitting on a high water table, storm runoff from the development would inundate the marsh with pollution from the road surfaces and fetilizers, insecticides, and herbicides from the golf course and home owner lawns. Previous studies on wetlands have already shown that a 10% addition of impervious surfaces result in substantial loss of fish life in the surrounding wetlands and sharp drop in quality of the water.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is more outspoken in its opposition to the proposed project. Recognizing the city of Cambridge's desire to attract new business and spurn economic growth, they encourage the project to be moved into the city itself or in areas already designated for growth and make the presently proposed site for the project a permanent natural barrier between Cambridge's growth and the delicate wetlands.

And what do the residents of Dorchester County think? They are, after all, the ones who stand to gain the most (economic opportunities) or lose the most (loss of quality of life, destruction of their environment, loss of economic growth - those who depend on the marsh and the bay for their livilihood). A full 73% of voting residents oppose the Blackwater development plan.
But if the Dorchester County and City of Cambridge councils get their way, groundbreaking for the new resort will begin in October.

With this background, I urge all Marylanders to do any or all of the following to protect the wetlands: (You may use any letter samples ver batim or as a guidline to creating your own):

1. 
   Sign the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Petition (http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=bw_home)
2. 
   Write the Dorchester County and City of Cambridge council members, the two councils that have given the green light for the project. (Sample letter and contacts to follow.)
3. 
   Write Governor Ehrlich asking for state intervention. (Sample letter and contact to follow.)
4. 
   Write Mayor Martin O'Malley of Baltimore and gubernatorial candidate. Force the project to become an election year hot button. (Sample letter and contact to follow.)
5. 
   Write the major news stations encouraging them to cover the story. (Sample letters and contacts to follow.)
6. 
   Write an editorial/letter to the editor to the two popular newspapers. (Sample letters and contacts to follow.)
7. 
   Write the state senator and rep urging state intervention. (Sample letters and contacts to follow.)
8. 
   Write the Department of Interior urging federal intervention. (Sample letter and contact to follow.)
9. 
   Write MD Senators and District Rep urging federal intervention. (Sample letters and contacts to follow.)

Obviously, I have quite a few letters to write. Over the next two weeks or so, I'll be posting them. But I wanted to get this up so any Marylanders can at least sign the petition (the first thing in my long list to do) before Thursday's town meeting. I reckon if you don't live in MD, but have visited the refuge, there's no reason why you shouldn't voice your concern, too. And heck, if after visiting the website of the refuge and seeing what is all there, I reckon it wouldn't hurt to voice your opinion through one of the appropriate outlets listed above like a letter to the editor or something.