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A large tract of undeveloped land located just 0.5 miles north of the Sanctuary and right on the edge of the Patuxent River (formerly known as the Genstar property), was recently purchased, and the new owner is working with the Washington, DC-based Trust for Public Land to transfer all or part of the land into county ownership. (Click here to view the map of the area created by Dave Linthicum. Click here for more background information on the project.) This parcel is located just south of Route 4 and comprises almost 600 acres of wetland and forest. Preservation of this crucial property will have numerous benefits for the health of the Chesapeake Bay and will provide crucial habitat for wildlife.
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The Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary was the venue in late April for a major, local, environmental meeting which is part of our initiative to acquire the former "Genstar Property" now owned by an Atlanta-based developer.
The meeting, held on April 28, attracted at least 55 people from scientific organizations, community groups, home owners associations, the political realm and Anne Arundel county government who talked for almost two hours. The purpose was to find out what the current status of the property was, and how members of the community could proceed with the view towards purchasing the property and what sources of funding may be available.
Unfortunately, because of an addressing error on my part, the office of developer Jim Jacoby was unable to be informed of the meeting in time. I regret this because it is vitally important for Mr. Jacoby and his local representative to know that we want to be completely open when it comes to our concern about the property. And, naturally, we would appreciate being in full communication with him about what his position is, and how we can respond. I have tried to make up for this by sending him my apologies and the original letter along with an update.
The attendance, however, did include such authorities in the respective fields as Virginia Clagett, Maryland House of Delegates; Dr. Dennis Whigham, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Dr. Lloyd Lewis, a longtime FOJB and one of the State's top volunteers; Brian Woodward, A.A. County Rec. & Parks Environmental Chief, Ginger Ellis A.A. County Environmental Planning Administrator; Peter Perry and Bill Brown, both leaders in South County area civic associations; Dotty Chaney, a well respected community leader and Debbi Osborne, Trust for Public Land. The Friends were pretty well represented but, strikingly, there were many unaffiliated community members who came out of interest.
When given the opportunity to express an opinion that the property should not be developed no one volunteered this point of view in what was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, and one in which their comments would have been heard with equanimity. Steady cooperation and an understanding for a possibly different point of view is the only way common ground will be achieved in this matter.
This is a complicated and tricky period of time in which we find ourselves and by no means is the acquisition of Mr. Jacoby's property a "done deal." First there is the question of whether or not he wants to continue to sell. Then there is the question of whether Anne Arundel wants to, or can, buy all, or parts of the property. Money is the next issue --- if A.A. County has other priorities at this point in time then we are going to have to try other sources of funding. Finally there is the question of whether or not we have the time to do all this.
We do, however, have concern, desire and spirit. The write-in campaign suggested in the last issue of Marsh Notes needs more participation. It is vital to let Anne Arundel county and State of
Maryland officials know how committed we are to making the acquisition of this land a reality, and one which would not necessarily be "locked-up" for just educational and research purposes. There is enough land there, and a lot of it resilient enough, for a variety of activities to take place benefiting the many interests in our community.
A canoe trip at high tide along the bluffs on the west side would provide a beautiful perspective from which to see the land and its potential as protected habitat.
-- Chris Swarth
Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary
Doug Kuzmiak
President, Friends of Jug Bay
With only seconds remaining on the cattail clock for the game winning touchdown the "Redskin Foundation" rushed through the offensive line and scored big time for the Friends of Jug Bay.
Yes, the Redskin Foundation, now known as the George Preston Marshall Foundation, came through with a grant of $1,000 which pushed us over the $40,000 mark, enabling us to become eligible for the $10,000 France-Merrick Foundations challenge grant before the end of their fiscal year on May 31.
George Preston Marshall is best known as the founder of the Washington Redskin football team. The foundation now known for him is committed to the health, welfare, education and improvement of the conditions of children. It was the only foundation in the D.C. area that supported IWEP.
As of this writing supporting documentation has been forwarded to the France-Merrick Foundations and I am anticipating that by the next Marsh Notes update I will be able to report that not only is the fund raiser officially concluded but that IWEP is about ready to open --- and provide a date for its inauguration. Meantime, since IWEP has been envisioned as an ongoing project, please consider continuing to lend your financial support as updates, especially in computer related information, will always be necessary.
Originator: Alexey Voinov Started: Fri Apr 30 13:41:14 1999