The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has called Mattawoman Creek "the best, most productive tributary in the bay." More than 50 species of fish breed in the stream's 20 miles of shady wanderings, including yellow perch and largemouth bass. The bass are so numerous they draw scores of fishermen to national fishing tournaments every year along the creek.
"Mattawoman Creek is so important for us, especially in protecting the largemouth bass population," said Mary Groves, a biologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "You can't afford to have any great impact there from development and runoff."
The stream valley also boasts the richest variety of reptiles of any place surveyed in the state, with 18 species, including marbled salamanders and southern leopard frogs, according to a department report.
In 1998, the state under Gov. Parris N. Glendening spent $25 million to buy another 2,225 acres of forested land in the middle of the county's growth district and stop a 4,600-home subdivision called Chapman's Landing. County officials opposed the preservation of this land, which is north of Mattawoman Creek.
Glendening says continued development in the area is an example of a weakness in his 1997 "Smart Growth" law, as well other state efforts to control sprawl.
"The danger is we're going to lose these areas for all future generations," Glendening said. "The state is buying up land to preserve it, but it doesn't work unless the local government enters into the same philosophy."
On a sunny, crisp morning recently, a dozen fishermen gathered along the muddy banks of the creek a few miles downstream from the proposed highway crossing. The stream was brimming with perch eggs.
Ken Hastings, a coordinator with the Coastal Conservation Association, reached into the water, scooped up one of the glistening ribbons and examined the fish embryos through a magnifying glass. He said he worries that oil, gas, dirt, fertilizer and hot water gushing off the highway and new subdivisions will transform this river of life into a sterile ditch.
"The fish will just disappear," he said.
tom.pelton@baltsun.com
