Here's the link: =20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56194-2002May22.html
And here's the text:
In Debate Over Marina, Marsh's Future Is at Stake=20
Thursday, May 23, 2002; Page VA05=20
Jeb Byrne, who lives in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, is a=20
longtime member of the Friends of Dyke Marsh, an organization founded 26=20
years ago to help protect the marsh. As debate continues over what should be=
=20
done with Belle Haven Marina, which sits in a corner of the marsh, Byrne=20
fears that environmental concerns are being ignored.
A century and a half ago, Henry David Thoreau wrote that "some circumstantia=
l=20
evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk." This,=20
undoubtedly, was a whimsical but pointed reference to certain Massachusetts=20
farmers suspected of watering their milk before sale.
There is something of a parallel today in Northern Virginia, although the=20
issue here is not a sharp practice by skinflint farmers. The problem, rather=
,=20
is compatibility: what to do about another kind of "trout in the milk" -- a=20
marina that sits in the corner of a marsh specifically set aside by Congress=
=20
for the preservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
The National Park Service has undertaken an environmental assessment to help=
=20
determine the futures of the deteriorating Belle Haven Marina and,=20
inextricably, the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in the Potomac River just=20
south of Alexandria. It will take at least a year.
Unfortunately, periodic news accounts about the review being done to=20
determine whether the boating facility should be renovated, scaled back or=20
closed down invariably focus on the anxieties of local boaters and give scan=
t=20
attention to the historical context and the environmental concerns raised by=
=20
conflicting purposes. It's as though in the four decades since the marsh was=
=20
set aside for wildlife conservation, there has been a diminution rather than=
=20
a raising of public consciousness of environmental values, particularly thos=
e=20
involving wetlands.
Although personal anxieties of marina users are understandable given the=20
scarcity of wet slips, dry storage and launching facilities in the area,=20
recognition and evaluation of threats to the marsh's purpose of wildlife=20
preservation are of major importance.
Home to numerous species of birds and other wildlife, the marsh has a long=20
history. Dating back 5,000 to 7,000 years, it received its present name when=
=20
a plantation owner early in the 19th century diked the shallows in an=20
ultimately failed attempt to turn the marsh into "fast land."
The value of Dyke Marsh and adjacent wetlands was recognized by planners of=20
the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway in the early 1930s. The long-range plan=20
then called for preserving the marshes "jealously for future generations of=20
visitors to the nation's capital," as a bird sanctuary and biological=20
laboratory.
But thick layers of sand and gravel below the marsh attracted exploitation.=20
Dredging under privately owned stretches began. Still, by the late 1940s,=20
author and naturalist Louis Halle could write that Dyke Marsh was "the=20
nearest thing to primeval wilderness in the immediate vicinity of the city=20
[Washington]."
A crucial turning point came in 1959. Legislation was pending in Congress to=
=20
swap federally owned portions of the marsh for a privately owned buffer stri=
p=20
along the memorial highway. Enactment would have meant the end of the marsh.=
=20
An article by conservationist Irston R. Barnes in the Feb. 8, 1959,=20
Washington Post saved the marsh. Barnes criticized the plan as disastrous to=
=20
the last sizable freshwater tidal marsh on the Potomac in the capital area.
Conservation-minded members of Congress were energized by the newspaper=20
piece. The legislation was drastically amended. The federal government gaine=
d=20
possession of all the property involved but had to grant dredging rights to=20
the private owners for a specified time. Congressional proponents of the=20
measure, which saved the marsh, hailed it as a national model.
The enacted legislation and its history provided for restoration of damaged=20
areas. Congressional managers of the legislation ruled out marinas as=20
contrary to the conservation purpose. Although one small fishing marina was=20
forced out, the present marina developed over time from a mooring basin that=
=20
had been authorized for barges and equipment used in the dredging operation.=
=20
An unwary National Park Service had neglected to put a management plan in=20
place.
Sadly, stewardship by the park service over Dyke Marsh for many years was=20
deficient. For example, Nathaniel P. Reed, when he was assistant secretary=20
for fish and wildlife and parks in the Department of the Interior, wrote a=20
scathing memorandum to park service officials on Dec. 19, 1972, after=20
returning from a helicopter flight over Dyke Marsh.
Having viewed the devastation caused by dredging and dumping, Reed wrote, "I=
=20
was horrified!" He demanded "a rational plan for ending the dredging on a=20
priority basis" and said steps should be taken to reconstruct the marsh in=20
accord with the original commitment. "I do not want the remaining marsh=20
turned into an 'upland' recreation area. I want a marsh," he added in=20
exasperation.
The dredging stopped. But restoration did not begin -- then or since. Dyke=20
Marsh now is being reduced year by year by erosion. Promised restoration of=20
damaged areas is long overdue. The environmental assessment undertaken by th=
e=20
park service under the National Environmental Policy Act should provide=20
needed data about the impacts of marina services on the marsh and wildlife=20
preserve, both as the marsh is presently configured and as it would exist=20
when restored.
A comprehensive and careful environmental assessment can lead to informed=20
decision-making. Financial implications, of course, are a necessary part of=20
the study. There are certain premises, though, that should be clear from the=
=20
start. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is a rare and remarkable natural=20
resource in the national capital area with an unambiguous environmental=20
purpose and an unmistakable mandate. The careful preservation of a touch of=20
wilderness in a constantly urbanizing area is important not only to wildlife=
=20
but to us humans who live here -- and to generations to come.
=A9 2002 The Washington Post Company=20
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