Historic land-use plan under attack! Fight back to save Mattawoman Creek and Maryland’s biodiversity!

July 19, 2016

Mattawoman Creek Where One Goes Pleasantly

For years, the public has overwhelmingly urged a smarter land-use plan to conserve Mattawoman Creek, a national treasure and heritage, and maintain Charles County's rural character and quality of life in the face of costly sprawl development. Last July, a majority of the County Commissioners endorsed by the Sierra Club adopted a common-sense Comprehensive Plan that does just that! 

Implementing the plan requires zoning a Watershed Conservation District (WCD) with lower density to rein in the sprawl development that has been damaging the Mattawoman Creek and headwaters of the Port Tobacco River. Unfortunately, deep pockets in the growth machine are turning out those who profit from growth to noisily oppose the WCD. It is crucial that elected local officials hear support for the WCD.

Within the WCD, red shows developed areas based on a land-use map below by the Maryland Department of Planning. The amount of red helps explain why Mattawoman Creek is at the "tipping point" for irreversible degradation caused by polluted stormwater running off "impervious surface" like parking lots, roofs and roads. The development lobby would like to turn the whole WCD red!

2016 Comprehensive Plan Watershed Conservation District Charles County

Key to success so far has been the Sierra Club’s sustained public outreach, voter education, and—unique among organizations fighting to save the Mattawoman—political involvement in elections. These efforts finally led to a majority of Charles County Commissioners who favored smarter growth solutions to the many problems facing the county. The WCD is a climax of the new direction. Let’s do it again and get the WCD over the finish line.

Volunteers and funds are needed to turn out citizens for what will be a contentious hearing. Please contact Bonnie Bick at bonnie.bick@mdsierra.org  

Today, sustained effort by thousands of citizens has produced a remarkable new direction in land-use and conservation in one of the Maryland’s most biodiverse counties. To protect this major success, it is imperative to understand that implementation of the comprehensive plan will require yet more public involvement, as it will surely be a contentious process to forge a comprehensive rezoning ordinance on the anvil of the plan. With perseverance, we can assure that Mattawoman Creek remains what the Algonquians called “where one goes pleasantly.” 

The new plan encourages responsible investment in established communities and offers protection for the natural areas that make Charles County special. Highlights of the plan include:

  • Designating Bryans Road as a mixed use village instead of a major growth center for thousands of new homes;
  • Protecting much of the land draining to Mattawoman Creek with a new Watershed Conservation District;
  • Converting the failed Cross County Connector into a hiker biker trail;
  • Conserving ecologically rich acres previously slated for industrial development in the "tech park" in Bryans Road and around the airport;
  • Preventing major subdivisions in the Marbury/Rison area and in Marshall Hall;
  • Calls for a Nanjemoy/Mattawoman Rural Legacy area to help landowners obtain conservation easements;
  • Sets up a Nanjemoy/Mattawoman Priority Preservation Area to help conserve farm and forestland; and
  • Calls for a ban on future fracking.

Mattawoman Creek, "where one goes pleasantly" in Algonquian, flows into the Potomac River south of Washington DC. It is a beautiful quiet river for boating, fishing and bird watching.  But for years, the Mattawoman has been threatened by a local land use plan that has been paving it's watershed and the forests surrounding it. Today, the watershed's forests provide a haven for both humans and wildlife and filters water to sustain the vibrant living resources of the river and estuary. Maryland fisheries biologists said in 1992 "Mattawoman Creek represents as near to ideal conditions as can be found in the northern Chesapeake Bay, and should be protected from over-development."

Local activists and Sierra Club and coalition partners have been working to preserve the forests and natural resources of Charles county for many years. This comprehensive plan takes a big step towards protecting the Mattawoman. The fate of Mattawoman depends on us: Will we choose to protect one of the Chesapeake Bay's finest tributaries?

Find out more about the Mattawoman!