A Photographic Scream Against Suburban Sprawl

The eye is a direct line to the heart.

Governor O'Malley, please look at these pictures. They show the beautiful but fragile landscape of Mattawoman Creek in Southern Maryland. This valuable fish breeding ground and wildlife habitat will be polluted if the Maryland Department of the Environment approves a permit that will allow the destruction of seven acres of wetlands for the proposed Sprawl Highway. Say no to Charles County's misguided plans, and let the natural art of the Chesapeake live.

An art student, Steven McNamara, took these photos this fall as part of a class assignment at the Maryland Institute College of Art.  The 22-year-old Baltimore resident said he wanted to do more than just complete his teacher's requirement.  "I took the pictures in an effort to help save the creek," McNamara said.

He said he wants to raise public awareness of what could be lost if the massive highway project moves ahead. 

"The creek is just gorgeous," he said. "I was able to check out a kayak several times and I biked the Indian Head rail-trail. The diversity of wildlife and plant life is impressive. The egrets and herons were just about as concentrated as I've ever seen."

"The Wood Duck is the first one I've ever seen," he continued.  "I saw at least one bald eagle every time I went down, and three different beaver lodges."

It isn't only Steven McNamara who is interested in saving this valuable stream from the hot gushes of polluted runoff that would pour off the highway and the sprawl that would grow around it.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently wrote a letter recommending a denial of the wetlands destruction permit. "This proposed highway will further degrade a system that is presently experiencing rapid forest loss," the wildlife agency wrote.  "This will have severe impacts on the biological community."

This community includes "the Chesapeake's most productive nursery...for American shad, hickory shad, white perch, blueback herring, and alewife.  Mattawoman Creek also serves as a nursery for striped bass," the federal agency wrote.

But that's not all that could be driven away by  development around the creek, according to the federal agency.  Bald Eagles.  Red-headed woodpeckers. Wood thrushes.  Prairie warblers. Kentucky warblers. Black ducks. Arcadian flycatchers.

And something bigger could be killed by suburban sprawl like this: our region's soul.  The Chesapeake region's identity as a unique landscape could be washed away by rivers of blacktop and avalanches of generic-looking subdivisions.

Steven McNamara wanted to save that endangered spirit with his lens. 

Governor O'Malley, you can save Mattawoman Creek with your pen.  

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(Photos by Stephen McNamara.  To see more, visit his Flickr site by clicking here.  Article by Tom Pelton, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. To learn more about the highway project, click here. )

Comments

[Bonnie Bick]

Wow...when I saw the title of today's Bay Daily, A Photographic Scream Against Suburban Sprawl,
I thought this could be done with the Mattawoman. I was really surprised when I opened the email and it was the Mattawoman.
Thank you Steven McNamara! You are a talented photographer and the quality of your perspective wasn't at all lost at Mattawoman Creek.
I hope this class assignment yields you a BIG A+ and that your teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art appreciates your work as much as we do. And thank you Tom for adding the eloquent text.
It is wonderful that more and more people are stepping forward to help Save Mattawoman Creek, the 4th most endangered river in the Nation. Thank you all.

[John Koontz]

Steven..thanks for the pictures. They are great. The wood duck is a very difficult one to get. You get an A+ for your assignment. I wonder if any of the O'Malley's handlers would dare to show him your pictures and meet with you.

[Meredith Sweet]

Steven and Tom: Great editorial! Gorgeous photos and eloquent words…an assignment straight from the heart. I am right there with you, fellas, raising awareness for the creek is vital.

This is what Maryland is all about....diverse and beautiful landscapes of the bay estuary and its watershed. This is one reason I moved down to S. MD and this is where I love to spend my weekends.

Take a good look, ladies and gentlemen. If Charles County has its way, scenes like will be replaced with parking lots and subdivisions in the next decade. Development fuels the county’s primary source of income—residential taxes. Ironically, the county commissioned and then ignored a report which recommended eco-tourism as another important and viable source of income.

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/tourism/charles_county.pdf

However, it appears our local officials would rather eradicate our forests than invite others to enjoy them.

[Jim Long]

Folks, you will also want to check out the link above to Flikr to see additional gorgeous photos. There is an inspiring eagle taking flight like some Winged Victory that should become a classic.

The irony of seeing this elegant animal in a gallery showing the grace of Mattawoman will not be lost on those who know Charles County’s trademarked slogan “Where eagles fly.”

Addicted to residential housing impact-fees, Charles County aggressively promotes sprawl development with highway proposals and calls it Smart Growth. Never mind their “development district” is larger than Washington D.C. Never mind this district overlaps the watershed of Mattawoman Creek, among the Bay’s last best. And never mind that there are real Smart Growth alternatives available by re-investing in Waldorf, the existing urban core.

The Fish and Wildlife Service wrote that present growth policies would be “devastating” for Mattawoman if continued. And the polices are clearly unsustainable both economically and environmentally, even using current accounting practices that ignore ecological services.

Thanks Tom, for bringing Stephen’s pictures to light. Compelling images helped convince politicians to set aside the nation’s first national park; we can hope images such as these will help turn the tide for the nation’s fourth most endangered river—indeed a Winged Victory! It must be done—how can you save the Bay by permitting its gems to slip away?

[Steven McNamara]

Thank you so much for the well-written article. I'm sorry I didn't thank you earlier. I was in Florida.

Seriously, thanks a lot

Steven

[Anne Cifrino]

Steven: I am so impressed with the beauty of your area and I wouldn't have known that had I not seen your lovely photographs. Keep up the good work and stick to your beliefs - this is worth saving!

[Anna]

The wood duck is a very difficult one to get. You get an A+ for your assignment. I wonder if any of the O'Malley's handlers would dare to show him your pictures and meet with you. http://www.fullmediafire.com

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The Fish and Wildlife Service wrote that present growth policies would be “devastating” for Mattawoman if continued. And the polices are clearly unsustainable both economically and environmentally, even using current accounting practices that ignore ecological services.

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how is that human see this marvels, and we still destroy it? is totally silly see how the world in dying, and all is our fault.

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What a fabulous pictures! These are reasons for which I feel upset when I hear somebody saying this world sucks... Are they blind or what? This world is a paradise... humanity is what really sucks.