Chapman Forest On the Potomac, near the Nation's Capital — expansive, unspoiled nature and history —

The Mattawoman Watershed Society and the Chapman Forest Foundation nominated the Mattawoman and Tidal Potomac Treasured Landscape To create a Bioreserve below Washington D.C.

Below Washington DC, beginning at the gateway formed by Mt. Vernon in Virginia and Ft. Washington on Piscataway Creek in Maryland, and stretching to the Nice Bridge, is a Potomac River landscape of great local, regional and national significance for both its biodiversity and its historical and cultural heritage. As a consequence, we have proposed for some time that a significant portion of this area be designated a Bioreserve. The area is ideally suited as a Treasured Landscape, as conceived in response to the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order. We are extremely pleased to draw the readers attention to the Chesapeake Bay Treasured Landscape Map Site number one is Potomac-Mattawoman.

We need to turn up our efforts to preserve our opportunities as well as our continuing efforts to reevaluate some of the poor decisions that were suggested over 20 years ago by Charles County planners. It that time there was little understanding of the value of Mattawoman and the Potomac and their forests, wetlands and shores for present and future generations well being and prosperity. There are many factors that were overlooked when Charles County was supporting a new bridge below Indian Head and massive growth in Western Charles. If readers haven't read the Fermatta Report, please do.

In 1997 the Friends of Mount Aventine produced a publication named the Keystone Report. It pointed out the important decision before the greater public ---should the valuable area of Chapman Forest along the Potomac River, where so much preservation has already been invested, be lost to land development deals that may not have the public's best interest at heart? This question was very much before us when it seemed possible the Chapman Landing development site might go forward. The Keystone Report stated that Chapman Forest is not a good place for a new city. We realize that while the preservation of Chapman Forest is incredibly important because of its location and high ecological and historical values the efforts that led to that preservation also led us to a bigger vision for our future. Now the cohesiveness of this proposed bioreserve can not survive the intensive development that Charles County is directing along the proposed Cross County Connector and at the Bryans Road Town Center. The same two conflicting visions are vying to become the future of Southern Prince George's and Western Charles. The survival of Mattawoman Creek and the historic and cultural values of the Potomac shore line are at stake. We all need to inform ourselves and work together to bring about a better future for our Nations River, Mattawoman, Marshall Hall and valuable forests where Charles County is proposing to locate its Indian Head Tech Park.

The area of Mount Vernon's Viewshed and the Naval Surface Warfare Center of Indian Head would both become more secure if more preservation were to be directed towards western Charles County. The Chapman Forest Foundation is a founding member and working Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County to promote more thoughtful planning for Charles County. Smart Growth and Reinvestment and revitalization for Waldorf is as a positive step. This is suggested in the White Paper...Trouble Ahead.

Addressing the Maryland side of the Potomac, where our organizations are centered, heavy and dense urbanization is being pursued by local governments that if not reconsidered would exact a high cost. For example, the loss of Mattawoman Creek and a marred view from Mount Vernon could be the outcome. The President's Chesapeake Bay Executive Order (CBEO) can influence the fate of these and many other assets through a vision that gives priority to the ecological services and historic and cultural attributes. These values, if protected would continue to add to our quality of life and provide clean air and clean water, and inspiration into the future. By taking concrete steps to implement this preservation-themed vision in coordination with specific and timely steps toward Smart Growth land-use and transportation solutions, economic prosperity can be attained through a route more sustainable than presently pursued, and at much less cost to resources of national significance. (The Virginia side of the Potomac is famous for the assets that qualify as part of this bioreserve proposal and can be documented in a similar manor.)

Remarkably, the recently published National Geographic Map of Treasured Landscapes, which identifies an area including Piscataway, Accokeek, Pomonkey, Mattawoman, and Nanjemoy Creeks and Port Tobacco River, strongly reinforces the concept of a national Bioreserve outlined in the map. Much of the area is still blanketed in healthy forests that support the bioreserve area and Mattawoman Creek, Maryland's most productive tributary for fish spawning- and nursery-functions in the Chesapeake Bay. The Mattawoman Important Bird Area was identified and will soon be designated by Audubon MD/DC. (To be designated Summer 2010).

Segments of the Potomac shore along Nanjemoy represents one of the longest undeveloped shorelines along the mid Atlantic coast. The fates of these landscapes are all tied to the present decision makers' ability to understand the importance of carefully evaluating alternatives to the present proposed urbanization that would create an unacceptable loss.

At the same time and contrast to the local goal of more urbanization near the Potomac shoreline, the proposed bioreserve area already contains a significant concentration of preserved land in both Maryland and Virginia. This land is distributed in a mosaic because the means for a strategic approach that connects large greenways has until now not been possible. The ecological and cultural values of the area would be greatly strengthened by linking Marshall Hall in Piscataway National Park to the Nanjemoy area by way of Ruth B. Swan Park, Chapman Forest and the contiguous Mattawoman Natural Environment Area, the south side of Mattawoman Creek, Smallwood State Park, Chicamuxen Wildlife Management Area, Doncaster State Forest and Purse State Park. In addition to its obvious importance as an ecological greenway, such a connected swath would also produce a remarkable historical corridor that includes Ft. Washington, National Colonial Farm, Marshall Hall, Mt. Aventine, Araby manor (home of Ann Eilbeck, wife of George Mason), General Smallwood's Retreat, General Hooker's headquarters, and the Ghost Fleet in Mallows Bay. The combined Virginia and Maryland historical assets on either side of the Potomac would clearly elevate further this Treasured Landscape. Thus by connecting and expanding this mosaic through directed purchases and scenic or other easements, preservation stemming from the CBEO and federal leadership would leverage these past investments to amplify enormously the wise steps taken in the past to protect some of the ecologically and culturally crucial elements of this area.

We emphasize that this bio reserve area dovetails perfectly with the Chesapeake Gateways Network and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, and the other longer established and prominent national, state, and privately preserved lands and historical assets. Clearly, future opportunities for enhanced preservation and public appreciation in the area would follow from a special designation as national bioreserve that formally linked it all together, perhaps under the Chesapeake National Park program.