Protecting and Preserving the Environment for Generations to Come

by Dru Schmidt-Perkins

Dragging her feet, a young girl reluctantly interrupted her summer vacation to spend a precious whole vacation day on a school retreat.  Off she went, muttering about how unfair it was to make a kid go to school in the summer.  Eight hours later, a muddy, tired but very exuberant girl returned home.  All through dinner she regaled her family with stories about the amazing and strange creatures that live in the muck in wetlands.  She told tales about harvesting oysters and the role this humble creature plays in filtering the Bay's waters.  She warned about the problems with sewage plants and the run off from neighborhood lawns.   Her eyes got big recounting tales told by a crusty old waterman on the deck of a skipjack, tales about life on the Chesapeake Bay decades ago.

Now years later, that "missed" vacation day is helping this child in her college biology and government classes.  She knows about the hidden values of the wetlands she passes by.   Stories on the evening news regarding problems facing watermen have a personal meaning to her.  This lucky child got to spend a whole day learning about the incredible environmental assets that surround Maryland.

A Diverse Environment

Maryland's environment is as diverse as the state.  Western Maryland has old growth forest   -- towering trees hundreds of years old.  Hunting, fishing, and, whitewater rafting attracts people from far and wide.  Long beaches and beautiful farms draw people from across the region to our Eastern Shore.  Maryland has shallow and fragile coastal bays and the internationally renowned Chesapeake Bay supports tremendous activities of sailing, power boats, fishing, crabbing and other water activities.  Maryland is crisscrossed with large rivers and quiet streams.  Creeks bring the Chesapeake Bay far inland.  Wetlands and swamps, hills and valleys, all are a part of this state.  With this comes a great variety in wildlife as well.

Our natural assets fuel a large part of this state's economy.  The Chesapeake Bay provides jobs to watermen, fishermen, charter boat captains, as do marinas, boat yards, kayak and canoe rentals.  Fisherman and bird watchers keep shops filled with special gear busy.  Our parks provide highly valued recreational opportunities, from playing fields to fly fishing, from playgrounds to wildlands.  These assets are a great part of what makes Maryland a wonderful place to live and work.  

But our natural assets and the recreation and other industries that depend on them are under stress and threatened by development pressures, pollution and over-use.  The Chesapeake Bay has a growing “dead zone” which covered over 40 percent of the main part of the Bay this summer.  Air pollution causes over 900 premature deaths and 185,000 lost workdays each year as well as contributing significantly to the pollution in our water.  Fish in Maryland must be eaten in limited quantities due to the toxins lurking inside.  Oysters and crabs are declining and over 25,000 acres of our open spaces and farms are lost to development each year.  Headlines shout about contamination found in wells and the lack of drinking water supplies.  Sewer plants and septic systems join run-off from farms and streets to pollute our neighborhood streams and creeks, as well as the Bay.

Working For You

But in every corner of Maryland, there are wonderful organizations working every day to protect and preserve Maryland's environment.  Some strive to save farms and open spaces from poorly planned development.  There are concerted efforts by others to protect our reservoirs and wells so they can be counted on to provide safe drinking water.  A number of organizations are working to reduce air pollution and help protect the health of all Marylanders and the Chesapeake Bay by enacting tougher pollution laws and to improve the enforcement of existing laws.  

Children are the state's future so many groups have terrific programs for children.  Some provide a child's first outing from the inner city into the deep woods, onto a working farm, or out on a boat.  Several bring the outdoors into schools by bringing wild hawks, owls, snakes and turtles to classrooms.  Others help schools restore natural areas right on the school grounds, making nature a part of the student's school day.  Organizations have fun, wonderful teacher programs and classroom activities from coloring books to whole curricula.  

On any given day across this state, you will find the environmental community made up of dedicated and talented staff and volunteers who work to protect Maryland's environment in hundreds of ways.  You'll see them up to their knees in creeks planting critical bay grasses and restoring wetlands.  Stream banks are benefiting from thousands of new trees and bushes planted to protect and to recreate lost habitats.  Experts are working with farmers to figure out together how to reduce pollution from farms.  Bird and butterfly habitats are being created.   Research is happening in laboratories in order to learn more about the impact of pollution on resources and innovative ways to reduce the threats.  Evenings are filled with workshops on native plantings for suburban yards, natural gardening, and non-toxic pest control.  On the policy side of things, city halls, county councils and the state house see environmental advocates working to protect Maryland's environment.  And as always, there are children on field trips, where the next generation of stewards is learning to care for and appreciate the diverse environments that make up the state of Maryland.  

Dru Schmidt-Perkins is the Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, a statewide coalition of business and development companies, architectural, and historical protection organizations, community and environmental groups that works to revitalize older communities while protecting the state's rural areas and open space.