|
Save the Mattawoman Creek Watershed and the Chesapeake Bay!
Only 20 miles south of Washington DC, Mattawoman Creek is the last best remnant of what the Chesapeake Bay rivers were like when the bay was healthy and productive. This river teems with life including eagles, herons, beaver, otters, bass and migratory fish, American lotus, and a wonderful diversity of plants and animals. It is the fourth most endangered river on American River's most endan gered waterways list for 2009.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has recognized it as the highest quality fish spawning nursery of the Chesapeake Bay. The Mattawoman has survived thus far because forests in Southern Prince George's and Charles counties filter storm and rainwater keeping the river cool, clean, and alive.
Now, new proposed developments would spread a path of destruction across the creek and it's watershed. Sprawling suburban housing developments threaten to pave over forests and farmlands with rooftops, cement, and polluted runoff, degrading this biodiverse area and the wildlife it supports. TAKE ACTION TO SAVE THE MATTAWOMAN!
Other proposals to increase growth (Waldorf Bypass, Tech Center.pdf) in the environmentally sensitive Mattawoman Watershed should be redesigned and directed to areas that need redevelopment
Citizens to Commissioners: We Want a Smart Growth Water Resource Element!
Update February 28, 2011 - PATH On Hold; Is MAPP Next?
On Monday, the Potomac Edison Company brought the PATH transmission line to an end in Maryland, as well as in Virginia and West Vierginia. The reason: Declining growth in electricity demand and other factors have eliminated the need for this three-state, 275-mile project. Will MAPP - the other major Maryland transmission line project - also be put on hold? Well, we won't know until next week (March 10th) when an updated analysis of the project is due out. What we do know is that MAPP is not needed to tap all that wind power potential off the Maryland coast. The existing Delmarva transmission grid is more than adequate to deliver offshore wind electricity to markets elsewhere in the USA. Nor is MAPP needed to maintain reliable, affordable electric service on Delmarva or elsewhere in Maryland. There are other options which will acheive this goal just as effectively with far less impact to the environment and electricity cost. The three greatest environmental impacts of MAPP are to increase air pollution from coal-fired power plants, cause wetland impacts far in excess of any project approved in Maryland since the 1980s, and impact as much as 8500 acres of the Chesapeake Bay and Choptak River. Further detail on these and many other impacts can be found on the CEDS Transmission Lines webpage.
Update January 31, 2012 - Victory for the Mattawoman!
In a major victory for the Mattawoman Creek, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has denied a permit for the final 3 phases of the Cross County Connector. The resulting sprawl from this highway would have detrimentally impacted the Mattawoman. At the moment, Charles County officials have not appealed MDE's decision or filed a new application. "The denial of this highway is a major victory for smart growth, protection of Mattawoman Creek, the Potomac, and Chesapeake Bay," says Bonnie Bick, conservation chair for the Club's Southern Maryland Group. "This highway would have facilitated sprawl development along faltering Mattawoman Creek, a Sierra Club priority and American Rivers' 4th-most endangered river in the nation in 2009." For more details, please read the press releases from the Sierra Club and CBF and this article from SoMdNews.com.
|
Documents & Factsheets
Carrots, sticks, and WIPs: building a Comprehensive Plan on water elements (pdf) by Jim Long
Mattawoman Briefing Booklet pdf
Mattawoman Factsheet pdf html
Army Corps letter to Charles County on proposed highway doc
FWS letter to the Army Corps 12-2009 pdf
Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County Release 12-2008 (doc)
Trouble Ahead Report: Road Map to a Smarter, Greener, and More Prosperous Charles County - an Alternative Vision pdf
Chesapeake Bay Treasured Landscapes Map pdf
|
|
More issues affecting Mattawoman Creek and our watersheds....
Global Warming: Coastal Wetlands are threatened by global warming - but can also buffer against storms and other effects. We can do our part personally and regionally to reduce green house gas emissions and preserve these wetlands.
Ecosystem Restoration:
Water Pollution: Don’t dump! We live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, so all the water that drains through our area eventually reaches the Bay - after passing through our local watersheds. Materials dumped into open sewer drains will flow directly in our important and irreplaceable waterways.
-
Prevent, identify, and quickly clean up spills of sewage, chemicals, and toxic substances. Report spills to Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) at (866) 633-4686.
Sprawl Development: Development in the outer suburbs increases traffic and carbon dioxide emissions and paves over our remaining wild places. New roads and sprawl also reduce our quality of life by degrading public facilities and services such as schools and fire and police response.
-
Sprawl and Global Warming factsheet (pdf) (html)
-
Take public transportation, set up a carpool, bike when you can ....and work for public officials who care about the environment and will advocate for good environmental laws.
-
- Charles County and it's towns could sign onto the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce global warming gas emissions. Join the Sierra Club Cool Cities campaign to fight Global Warming.
- Use Green Development techniques, such as Green Buildings, Native plants, Green Roofs, Rain Gardens, Rural Clustering, and Storm Water Management to benefit the Mattawoman and other Maryland Watersheds.
|
|
