On 4/17/2024, the Sierra Club York River Group learned about two important efforts to preserve the character and quality of Yorktown, fighting against the powerful interests of megacruise lines and property developers. 

Bob Hodson with Preserve Yorktown  spoke about Princess Cruise Line’s efforts to bring their megacruise ships to Yorktown.  These ships can be 3 football fields long!  They are far too large for Yorktown.  Also, Princess Cruise Lines got an overall “D” rating from Friends of the Earth. Preserve Yorktown worries that they would bring pollution and other problems to our small town.  

Marine scientists Elizabeth Wilkins and Jacques Van Montfrans described the many dangers from megacruise ships worldwide, including marine animal strikes, discharge of bilge water, solid waste expulsion, and air pollution.  Most cruise ships burn cheap. heavily-polluting dirty fuel.  Although many now use “scrubbers” to help reduce air pollution, the pollutants mostly end up being dumped into the water (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/12/shippings-dirty-secret-how-scrubbers-clean-the-air-while-contaminating-the-sea).

Ron Struble, president of Conserve York County Foundation, talked about how his group prevented a recent rezoning effort in upper York County, saving farm land and natural areas from development.  But it is a never-ending fight:  the developers and their allies in the county government continually try new ways to accelerate development in York county, while keeping concerned citizens (who want to conserve the town’s rural character and beauty) out of the loop as much as possible.