Planning to Protect Environmental Assets

Kimberly Brandt 1000 Friends of

Dr. Jim Long Mattawoman Watershed Society Planning vs. Reacting Planting the seed for your desired future instead of Reacting to someone else’s desired future 1000 Friends of Maryland 90% of all new development by 2035 occurs in areas targeted for growth and redevelopment 1000 Friends of Maryland Public and private investment in areas targeted for development is high quality, well-planned and meets the needs of the ENTIRE community 1000 Friends of Maryland Rural land lost to development by 2050 is greatly minimized, from the projected loss of over 400,000 acres to fewer than 100,000 acres Mattawoman Watershed Society Charitable organization working to save

All volunteer

Over 2000 supporters

Formed in 2006 Protect, Conserve and Restore for All

Public outreach Research

Education Advocacy 1000 Friends of Maryland MD Ornithological Society AMP Creeks Council Mason Springs Conservancy Audubon Maryland-DC Mattawoman Watershed Society Chapman Forest Foundation Nanjemoy-Potomac Environmental Foundation Coalition Clean Water Action Association Coalition for Smarter Growth Potomac Riverkeeper Network Conservancy for Charles County Sierra Club – Maryland Chapter MD Bass Nation Sierra Club – Southern Maryland Group MD Conservation Council South Hampton HOA MD League of Conservation Voters Southern Maryland Audubon Society MD Native Plant Society St. Mary’s River Watershed Association 2nd in MD for Targeted DC Ecological Area: “most ` ecologically important lands and waters on a statewide basis.”

DNR: GreenPrint TEAs via MERLIN About Charles County

• Lower housing costs than other jurisdictions in the DC area • 60% of workers commute out of the county • 26,000 residents added from 2000-2010, a 21% increase • 153,000 residents in 2013 Cross County Connector • New highway in the Mattawoman watershed • Designed to open up forested land for sprawl residential development • Deemed “contrary to the public interest” by the ACOE • Required state and federal permits denied in 2011-12 • Finally removed from the county budget in 2015 2006 Comprehensive Plan

• Development District larger than D.C. • Large lot residential almost everywhere else • Process to update begins in 2011

Even as we work to restore the Bay,

• Bay watershed lost 100 acres of filtering forest to development every day (1990-2005)

• Impervious surface is increasing faster than population. • Urbanization is the only pollution sector still increasing.

www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/bay_watershed_forest_cover http://newsletters.wetlandstudies.com/docUpload/ImperviousSurfaceCorrespondence.pdf 2007

Total Nitrogen

Total Phosphorus

Source: Chesapeake Bay Program. Watershed Model, Phase 5.3.2 www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/reducing_nitrogen_pollution 100

80 Forest

60

40 Agriculture

% of land coverage land of % 20 Urban 0

1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

W.M. Kemp et al., Marine Ecology Progress (2005) CBP Chesapeake Forest Restoration Strategy (2012) 1850

1900

1953

1992

USGS 203519732010 Growth in Maryland 1973 - 2010

• Developed lands increased by 154% • The population grew by 39% • More than 1 million acres of forest and agricultural land were lost to development Bionet Tier 1 2 3

4 Richer 5

Small-flowered Baby-blue-eyes Nemophila aphylla, S2 D.C.

“The best, most productive to the Bay” DNR ` Mattawoman Creek Zekiah “one of the most Swamp important ecological Nanjemoy areas on the East Creek Coast” DNR/SERC “one of the most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes in MD” DNR US FWS map D.C.

“Development District” ` bigger than D.C. Mattawoman Creek Impervious at buildout = River

US FWS map ~1990 Washington bypass studies spawn rampant speculation Chapman’s Landing Southbridge Charles County Charles County Old comp plan New comp plan

U.S. Census/Wikipedia Charles County Comprehensive Plan ` Forest, farm, development 1972 & 2000Indian Head

D.C.

•Fresh

• Oligohaline (slightly brackish)

• Mesohaline Potomac R

Arrow Arum/Pickeral Weed Tidal Marsh G3 S4 American Lotus Nelumbo lutea

The most diverse sentinel site in MD (18 species). Spotted salamander

A tri-state hot-spot for amphibians & reptiles.

Hognose snake MBSS Stream Survey 2000-2004, Vol 9 Of Greatest Conservation Need 17,000 acres Important Bird Area

A tri-state hot-spot for birds

Important Bird Areas, Audubon MD-DC R.C. McCorkle et al., A GAP Analysis of Animal Species Distributions in MD, DE, and NJ, U.S. FWS (2006) Anadromous fish “40 times greater than in the other 7 combined.” (1992)

“Mattawoman Creek is considered to be one of the most important fish spawning and nursery tributaries on the Potomac River.”

DNR, 1992. Example: River Herring Spring Migration

Striped Bass American Shad

Yellow Perch Alewife Herring

From Atlantic Ocean White Perch Blueback Herring MD Fisheries Service (2005; 2010) “The Mattawoman is considered one of the best spots for bass fishing on the East Coast” September 4, 2008

… the most important habitat for the proliferation of the large mouth bass in the entire Potomac River Estuary.

“Mattawoman Creek is the most productive tributary of all the fine Potomac River branches.” Ken Penrod, author and guide

$$$ Bass tournaments’ economic impact ~ market value of Charles County’s ag products. high value & high stress

Mattawoman Creek DC

Gray Petaltail Tachopteryx thoreyi S3 DNR

400 40

g/L) m

Goal (

300 30 a

200 20 Class 4 Class 3 Class 2 100 10

Class 1 SAV area (ha)area SAV

0

0 Median Chlorophyll Chlorophyll Median

1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012

-The Interagency Mattawoman Ecosystem Management Task Force (2012) -VIMS SAV surveys (2013)

-J. Uphoff et al., DNR Fisheries Service year end report (2010) SAV density SAV -W.R. Boynton et al., Estuaries and Coasts (2013) Wild Celery Valisneria americana -The Interagency Mattawoman Ecosystem Management Task Force (2012)

Fish species comprising of 90% of 3.1m annual trawl catch 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Blueback Herring Blueback (YOY) Perch White Anchovy Bay Shiner Spottail (adult)Perch White Alewife Shad Gizzard BandedKillifish Shad American TessellatedDarter Pumpkinseed Bluegill

Fisheries Service & MWS Miles above head of tide • ~100 projects at $60 million • 300 more projects to meet TMDL (MS4 permit) • Total cost ~$243 million

Available retrofits unable to meet Mattawoman’s TMDL nitrogen reduction Mattawoman Creek Total SW nitrogen load 2025 (w/ growth)

Baseline Planned reduction

TMDL goal

After: KCI, Charles County Municipal Restoration Plan (2015)

“The County cannot rely on State and Federal regulatory programs within their limited scope of review to protect the aquatic resources of the Mattawoman Creek.”

Army Corps of Engineers Letter to Charles County, November 19, 2008.

Planning for Resource Protection The Comprehensive Plan The Comp Plan Identifies

• Where development goes • Where development does NOT go • The type of development Maryland’s 1992 Economic Growth, Resource Protection, and Planning Act

• 7 visions - focus on concentrating growth in suitable areas and protecting sensitive areas. • Requires local jurisdictions to address the 7 visions in their comprehensive plans. • Requires local jurisdictions to review, and if necessary, update their plans once every 6 years (now 10 years for some). Maryland Priority Funding Areas Act - 1997

• Provided a geographic focus for State investment in growth, such as highways and public water and sewer systems. • All municipalities (as they existed on 1/1/97), Baltimore City, and areas inside the Baltimore and Capital Beltways are designated PFAs.

Maryland Smart, Green and Growing Act - 2009

• 8 visions expanded to 12 visions. • The visions include public participation, growth areas, environmental protection, resource conservation, and stewardship. • Local jurisdictions are required to include the visions in their comprehensive plan and implement them through zoning ordinances and regulations. Don’t Be Fooled by the Text

Don’t Be Fooled by the Map

Land Use Map – Zoning Map Connection*

The Comp Plan Process Land Use is Local Who Has the Power? Elected Appointed Planning Commission

• 3, 5 or 7 citizens • Typically no formal planning education • Serve staggered terms Comp Plans, Area Plans & Rezoning

• Planning Commission recommends • Elected officials decide • State law requires public hearings Opportunities for Involvement

• Work Groups • Charrettes • Community Meetings • Workshops • Online Surveys • Public Hearings Subdivisions & Site Plans The Charles County Comp Plan Campaign Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County

We support a future for Charles County that promotes a vibrant and healthy outdoors; protects our farms, forests, and streams, particularly Mattawoman Creek, from unbridled development; where no child attends school in a trailer; where traffic is not an everyday burden; where mass-transportation alternatives are available as the heart of Waldorf is revitalized; and where all our communities are clean, safe, and enjoyable places to live, work, and play. The Balanced Growth Initiative

• Protect Landowners Rights • Protect Local Jobs • Stop Higher Taxes • Stop Land Devaluation • Prevent Congestion, Crime, and Segregation in Waldorf • Move Forward with Cross County Connector • Promote "Balanced" Growth

Our leaders need to • Stop Special Interests • Stop Gridlock in Waldorf • Listen to Voters • Listen to Charles County's Citizens

We Succeeded by

1. Cultivating a steering committee of leaders who meet every other week to • share information • strategize • coordinate efforts

2. Using social media, direct mail, and events to inform and engage residents

Bottom Rung Meetings

c(3) voter-ed

c(4) endorsements We Succeeded by 3. Educating decision makers by arranging presentations by experts and hosting outings. “Given impervious cover presently at the tipping point, the rate of forest loss, and the decline in health of the fish March 15, 2012 community in the estuary, the current update may well represent the last opportunity to establish permanent protection of the Mattawoman’s resources and ecological functions.” We Succeeded by

5. Building strong relationships with elected and appointed officials who support smart growth.

6. Being visible at everything: • Planning Commission meetings • Town Hall meetings • Public hearings • County fair We Succeeded by 7. Changing Maryland planning law to improve accountability. The Charles County Comp Plan Development District Reduced from 52,220 acres to 22,189 acres – a 57.5% decrease – so its boundaries now match those of the Priority Funding Areas.

2006 plan 2016 plan Watershed Conservation District Protects • the headwaters of the • the Mattawoman stream valley • much of the Mattawoman watershed by limiting development to one unit per 20 acres – the most protective in the county.

Priority Preservation Area Rural Development Controls • Calls for a Nanjemoy/Mattawoman Rural Legacy area to help landowners obtain conservation easements. • Calls for a ban on fracking. • Prevents the expenditure of an estimated $2 billion on new road construction and future maintenance by the public and private sectors. • Converts the Cross County Connector into a hiker-biker trail.

Mallows Bay

Ghost Fleet of Courtesy Don Shomette