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News articles concerning the proposed SURFACE MINING at Douglas Point in Nanjemoy
Contact Person: Deanna Wheeler  of the Nanjemoy-Potomac Environmental Coalition, 301-246-4806

Washington Post Articles (only available for 14 days after print)
<June 4 - Mining Opponents Gather Allies>

Letter to the Editor
Deanna Wheeler's letter to the editors of Washington Post and the Maryland Independent Newspapers

To the Editor:
Recent meetings with Nanjemoy residents and Maryland Rock Company disclosed the plans for surfacing mining on the presently owned Pepco property, which includes Douglas Point on the Potomac River. This property is adjacent to Purse State Park in Nanjemoy, which includes the waterfront property in Wade's Bay. As a citizen in the area, I'm concerned with the lack of privacy this operation will create.

The surface mining plans include clearing 600 acres of forested lands, stockpiles within the critical area zone (within 1,000 feet of the Potomac), dredging a channel to the shoreline in order to barge the sand/gravel out three times a day, and constructing an extended pier and a load-out basin over the water.

This land was a proposed site for a nuclear power plant in the early 1970s. After a four-year survey by Calvert Posey, Pepco was unable to build due to the presence of rare and endangered species and due to funding issues. Since then, this property has captured the interest of many people, including Rep. [Steny H.] Hoyer, Senator [Paul S.] Sarbanes, Maryland DNR, Nature Conservancy, Charles County Public Facilities and the Conservation Fund. State funding has been approved for the purchase of this property along with two other nearby tracts of land to be used as parkland. There is matching federal money available to protect this waterfront land. The State of Maryland is very interested in protecting this land but now must wait until the property is not under contract. The current contract for the property between Maryland Rock Company and Pepco is contingent upon the acquisition of all necessary permits.
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Why protect and preserve this piece of property? This property supports at least two eagles' nests located on the property and several other nests nearby. This property has nontidal wetlands that support the habitat for many rare birds, plants and animals. The cliffs located on the shore contain the oldest fossils along the East Coast. One fossil, discovered along those cliffs, was later found halfway across the world. The fossils are 40 million years older than the ones found on Calvert Cliffs. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs), or commonly called "sea grasses" that engulf the area's water, support migrating birds in the fall and spring. The SAVs provide protection for the baby fish (nursery) and a hatchery for bass. One of the ways scientists determine the health of a river is to assess the SAV bed.

This is of vital interest not only for the citizens of Charles County but for all citizens. It is a historic measure that over 5,000 continuous waterfront acres, one of the largest in the nation, can be protected from development if the three parcels of property are purchased by the state. Although gravel and sand are important resources, it makes little sense to use this unique property with lowland deposits whereas other parcels in the state with better deposits can be mined. With the recent environmental devastation caused by the oil spill from Pepco's Chalk Point Power Plant, Pepco needs to mitigate the damage. By asking for a withdrawal from the contract with Maryland Rock, Pepco would be giving our generation a chance to be stewards of an endangered resource, undeveloped waterfront.

Please [contact] the commissioners, senators, representatives and John Derrick, president and CEO of Pepco, who happens to be a member of the Nature Conservancy board, about the proposed destructive, environmentally insensitive project for the Douglas Point property.

Deanna Wheeler, Nanjemoy
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