Wayson's Corner Purchase Completed

Earlier in the week, the Board of Public Works approved $5.75 million in Program Open Space funds to purchase 30 acres of forested property in Wayson's Corner. The land, which is nearby the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, and was zoned to be developed as a Target-centered commercial complex, will now be preserved.

Advisory Commission Recommends End to Oystering the Commons

According to a piece by the Post, the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission, set up by the State of Maryland is prepared to release a report dramatically changing the nature of oyster harvesting in the Bay.

The report recommends that, in order to help the oyster population bounce back from its historic collapse, free-ranging harvest of public oyster beds be scaled back, and instead move the industry towards private, "shellfish farms."

Despite the fact that $40 million has been spent on oyster restoration, the population remains at about 1 percent of its historic levels. The negligible impact of these dollars is at least in part due to the fact that much of that money has been spent on a watermen welfare system, where the State and conservation groups pay to grow and set spat, only to be harvested a few years later - so called "put and take" programs.

Given the miserable condition of the population and the exceedingly small group of people left profiting from its demise, I think the report's recommendations are right on the money. We'll see, in short order, if the Governor and General Assembly have the courage to stand behind them.

Dairy Farm Saved

On Monday night, the Council took the final step in approving the County's 30-year lease of the Naval Academy Dairy Farm. The County intends to keep renting some of the property out to Maryland Sunrise Organic Farm, and will likely make community parcels available to County residents at some point in the future. Also discussed for the site are passive recreational opportunities for hikers, bird watchers, and horseback riders.

The County is wise to protect this 857-acre parcel for as long as it can.

County Helps Conserve Crownsville

This week, the County Council voted to turn over 192 surplus lots in Herald Harbor, comprising about 10 acres of floodplain, steep slopes, and sensitive area, to the Crownsville Conservancy.

The action represents a huge success for the community and the Conservancy, as "enterprising"/unscrupulous developers have made a cottage industry out of finding "unbuildable" lots throughout the county, hiring a good land use attorney, and denuding/filling/grading some of the most sensitive lands in our watersheds. Because the sellers are often under the impression that these lots can't be built on, developers can flip these lots for pennies on the dollar (minus the legal fees to steamroll the Board of Appeals).

Other communities would do well to find out if their infill lots are on the County's surplus list and work to have them placed in permanent conservation as well.

Leopold Steps in to Save a Resource

Once again, venturing where the previous Administration failed to tread, Executive Leopold has requested that MDE deny a permit to a developer attempting to build in the bog protection area in Pasadena.

Bogs are ice-age relics that are generally nutrient poor environments where organic matter (i.e. peat) accretes, and serves as a high quality water filter. These rare natural resources are also home to some of the State's most endangered and threatened plant species, including several species of carnivorous plants.

Once again, Leopold wins serious kudos for stepping up to protect Anne Arundel County's environmental treasures.

Preservation Ploy Prevented

Thanks to some close reading by County Council members, a potential loophole that could eventually undermine the preservation of 400 acres in South County will hopefully be averted. Some unscrupulous soul, perhaps the same one who fudged the Smith Farm contract, inserted language into the contract between the County and Mary Kinder that could potentially allow the land, which is intended as an agricultural preserve, to be converted into ballfields or a school. For Councilwoman Vitale, it brought up the spectre of the Smith Farm debacle, in which Janet Owens tried mightily to subvert the intent of the contract between previous County Exec, John Gary, and Elizabeth Gleaves, Andy Smith's widow.

The vote to hold the bill until the questionable language could be dealt with passed with a 6-1 roll call. Good riddance, Mr. Burlison.

Spending Money for Open Space

A piece in last week's Post described how Executive Owens would like to spend the $16.1 million that the Governor's proposed budget contains for county open space funding.

What's on the Horizon?

When the Horizon Organic Dairy decided over a year ago to leave its digs in Gambrills, site of the Naval Academy's old dairy farm, it left an 875-acre bucolic, rural site in the midst of suburban sprawl. Now, the Naval Academy is looking for new tenants. Predictably, even before the last udder has fully dried, ballfields advocates have jumped on the idea of turning "at least 300 acres" into athletic fields. Surely, ballfields are better than a bumper crop of McMansions, but in a rare occurrence indeed, both Executive Owens and Councilman Bill Burlison (D-Crofton) are on the right side of this issue, trying to keep it as farmland. According to the Capital article, Owens would like to see the land remain as farm, and Burlison waxed poetically that, "There are so few (farms) left in Anne Arundel county, for one thing ... The beauty and glory of that acreage. I go by frequently, and it's a gorgeous layout, really spacial beauty."

Why not keep the farm, that is either already certified organic, or very close to being so, as a rural-business/agricultural incubator. There are still thousands of acres of farmland in the County, and hundreds of farmers trying to make a living. The Naval Academy site could be an ideal location to train current farmers, as well as the next generation of farmers, in how to farm organically, as well as produce valued-added agricultural products so that they can keep their own farms profitable. As a frequent visitor to County Farmer's Markets, I'm a firm believer that this is a part of our heritage that we must protect for a variety of reasons, above and beyond the obvious culinary ones.

Franklin Point Park

Last night, December 2, the Franklin Point Park (FPP) planning meeting was held at Shady Side Elementary [a general map of the area]. It was well-attended with about 30 participants, comprised of equal parts planning committee members and the general public. The plan actually includes 5 separate recreation areas, four of which are smaller than the 447-acre Franklin Point parcel and are located on the northern portions of the peninsula.

There seemed to be general consensus around the uses described by the planning company, ERM, for the 4 smaller parks, but disagreement over the proper course of action regarding whether or not the plan for FPP should include athletic ballfields. Several residents thought that upgrading existing fields on one of the smaller parcels would address the athletic needs of the community, while a couple of others disagreed, contending that the student population at Shady Side Elementary has increased recently (a situation which, based on recent data, is not occurring) [in 1998, the school had 556 students, in 2000, the school had 473 students, in 2003, it had 459 students; this represents a 17 percent decrease in enrollment from 1998-2003].

However, even if the elementary school-aged population in the area hadn't been declining for the past six years, which it appears to have been, one wonders about the virtue of placing athletic fields adjacent to one of the most environmentally pristine pieces of land in south Anne Arundel County.

The next planning meeting is January 13th, at Shady Side Elementary.