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Environmentalists prevail in Blackwater deal
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Environmentalists applauded the state’s approval of a 720-acre purchase of environmentally sensitive land slated for development in Dorchester County’s Cambridge.
The three-member Board of Public Works on Wednesday signed off on the $10.3 million acquisition near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for several endangered animals. The move saves more than two-thirds of a 1,000-acre parcel where a developer proposed a 3,200-home resort and retail community.
“The community wins, the environment wins, the developer wins, the city of Cambridge wins, and the agricultural community wins,” said Kim Coble, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which championed a 30,000 signature petition against the development. “It’s a great compromise.”
The sale was originally announced by former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich just one day before he was defeated in the November 2006 election. Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, a member of the board, commended state agencies and environmental groups for their cooperation.
“I think this is a great day not only for Blackwater, but also the Chesapeake Bay,” O’Malley said.
Developer Duane Zentgraf still will be able to build about 675 homes, a 75 percent reduction in the volume he originally proposed. Zentgraf agreed to spend $1.9 million improving water quality of the Little Blackwater River and reforesting hundreds of acres with native plants and trees. The rest of the preserved land will remain in agricultural use, officials said.
The parcel is part of what Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin called a “green infrastructure hub,” including an adjacent 60,000 forested acres purchased in 1999.
“It makes sense from a managerial perspective,” Griffin said. “We already have staff there so they don’t have to hopscotch to an isolated area.” The purchase is funded by the state’s Program Open Space. The final contract will be signed May 25, officials said.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Examiner Reader said:
Finally something to stop people from building and then getting a permit. IT ABOUT TIME!
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
in anne arudnel county they should worry about their police department before the environ, i mean whether they allow mahjor accidents because they close down an interstate for 10 vehciles to get on or let dogs kill a goat without getting involve. i mean if you are not wearing a seat belt in anne arundel you will get a ticket but god forbid the polcie need to direct traffic. none of them know how they just close the road even while four of them sit there looking at the accident. now big brother wants to tell you whether you can cut down a tree. how about the developers, or better yet the county themselves. once a sewer gets built the county lets all these developers just move right on in. that is the problem.
5 agree | 5 disagree
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johnn said:
this is what people like omalley do when they want something
7 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Tegiri: Sounds like a bunch of whining to me.....how come I DONT see you out there making a change..from the way you are framing your comment you must have an advanced degree or something....so when can I expect you to show up to a community of color and create sustainable change?!?!...tomorrow maybe? I think not. Stick to what you "say" you know..and not making ignorant comments
6 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You don't need a degree per se when your mentor who has a master's degree was giving her hands on experience and that's what she has is EXPERIENCE so instead of getting a degree she took a break and did the groundwork and has done more things in the Bayview -Hunter's Point community than most 25 yr olds.Bill Gates didn't graduate from Harvard but he is still BILL GATES because he had hands on experience with the technology. Furthermore, The Women Policy Institute obviously thought she was good enough to receive a yearlong fellowship...ignorant people like you "tegiri" (which is a fake name by the way) make me sick...but a question we should ask is "what are you doing about EJ in your community??? "
6 agree | 6 disagree
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Tegiri Nenashi said:
The education background (or the lack of thereof) is remarkable. Some college (community?), and arts? How do these people can form an educated opinion upon what technologies are good and what are bad for the environment?
8 agree | 10 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I've discovered that at least 80% of the pile placed there is contaminated by fuel and human waste from a broken sewer pipe and the rest is probably been contaminated by contact. The City directed where to leave it. Their plan is to have all of the contaminents wash out into the community and then stick one of the contractors with the cost of moving it once it is "clean". City pays to dispose of contaminated materials, contractor pays to move uncontaminated (now you see their game). City will not share test results after "dog and pony show" of moving 12 truck loads. I'm sure we will see results once they get a good test. It is amazing that City wastes money on politically connected but utterly useless layer of "consulting" oversite (they already use RK&K, Whiting Turner & qualified good city inspectors and also 4th unnamed layer of pointless political money related oversight) , but will not pay to protect residents from contaminated material. All easily verified by good reporter
11 agree | 9 disagree
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Mike said:
I bet Severn Savings wishes they had not built this green monster/white elephant now that the stock price has gone from 22 to 6...yikes!
8 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
nothing like a pile of dirt in the city!
10 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I guess the City of Belmont is more worried about saving its dying and hazardous trees than the homeless camps that were being covered by these trees. I personally was happy to see the trees removed I was always worried about the big branches overhanging the roadway that were broken not to mention that the homeless camp was sent packing because they lost their cover of the tree branches hanging down. Why would the city sue them for providing a great service, except they want money from the little guys.
12 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You can bet on it that if the pile of dirt had been left in Roland Park, it would be gone PDQ.
10 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Solution - Either move it or put up a 12 foot high fence around it with security 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. (whichever is cheaper.
10 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Great. I live two blocks away and walk my dog past that pile of dirt. Wonderful Baltimore. Just wonderful.
9 agree | 10 disagree
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johnn said:
not dixsons clean and green program is it
10 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I guess when the salmon count is so low that wildlife agencies have to place a mandatory ban on fishing to replenish their numbers, and when the whales are about 10-15% thinner, it's a sign that the oceans are stressed out. Kudos to the state Supreme Court for protecting the ocean and giving our coasts protective areas to restore ecosystems and rejuvenate her marine life.
16 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Policy issues related to the solar program need to be vetted before money is spent, McGoldrick told The Examiner in an e-mail. The supervisor characterized Solar City’s threat to abandon The City as “greenmail.” Oh man...can someone please get goldbricker McGoldrick to get a real life, hopefully one not in public service! Geeze if this guy ran the world we would be forever spitting in the wind.
17 agree | 17 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Next step: Wire Hangers!!! (Dry cleaners don't seem to want them back).
19 agree | 18 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I throw everything I can into the recycling bin and let them decide.
22 agree | 21 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i think the bicycle built for water is a dum story
23 agree | 24 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
how much will the bike cost?
23 agree | 22 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Good. Can't wait for the criminals to do a number on the City!
22 agree | 23 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
there are no heading on what each paragraph is about
167 agree | 207 disagree
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Bob said:
What concerns me isn't so much all this green stuff; (and green is just a buzz word for Corporate America to make big bucks)what is being done to animal species being wiped off the face of the earth? Polar bear, Rhinos (being slaughered for their horns); elephants, snow tigers, and the list goes on and on;
230 agree | 184 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
all this green is a bunch of crap....i still burn wood, drive my car alone to work (better than some smelly bus or bart) do not recycle..thats what i pay those garbagemen for. i would rather use my firplace and wood than pay Pacific Grred and Extortion zny of their rip bills.
237 agree | 196 disagree
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Another Examiner Reader said:
Sure nuclear power is "clean." Just ask the Chernobylites.
232 agree | 242 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Thank you for this article. However it needs more development, especially in the area of light trespass onto down hill property. Full cut off on level ground is not full cut off on slopes. Also, motion detectors often activate when a person walks on his own property and is detected by the neighbor's poorly designed/installed system. Please consider this in the future.
655 agree | 432 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Al Gore should provide more support for nuclear power. When you come to the realization that we have to STOP using fossil fuels, there is nothing else that can produce the huge amount of power that would be required to replace fossil fuels. Nuclear already provides 20% of our electric power. Nuclear power is as cheap or maybe cheaper than coal, especially when you compare 'clean coal' vs. nuclear. It is time we started replacing all of our coal fired power plants with nuclear.
874 agree | 433 disagree
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Sandy Wisner said:
Dear Kelsey, If you take 15% of one portion of a thing and 17% of another portion of the same thing, you will not get 32% of the whole. Depending on the size of the portions, you will have between 15 and 17 percent of the whole.
621 agree | 460 disagree
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