Preserving the pristine Mattawoman Creek

Thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Program for choosing this magnificent aerial picture of Mattawoman Creek as their Photo of the Week. The 2016 Charles County Comprehensive Plan is truly a reprieve, but the Mattawoman watershed continues to need further protection. The Mattawoman hot spots of biodiversity are highly valuable and very fragile. We are thankful for the two Audubon Important Bird Areas, but the tipping -point still looms for the known uncommon amphibians and reptiles (including Maryland’s best coastal-plain site for amphibians and reptiles). Mattawoman is also recognized for its riparian wetland swamps, fish and mussel species, and as a spawning ground for declining migratory fish. As mentioned in this short article, the Mattawoman and its watershed feed the estuary now described by state and federal scientists “as what a restored Chesapeake Bay would look like.” We are thankful, but must remain vigilant since there are many unbridled growth forces that are not happy with decisions to protect this valuable watershed from continued destructive sprawl development.