| Is This Progress?
Dear Bay Weekly:
You may try to take away from me
The solace of this place,
A land where I can be at peace
From cares of the human race.
You may silence the sounds of nature
With your concrete, mortar and such
And wash away my freedom
To walk shorelines I’ve loved so much.
For those who’ve dwelled a lifetime
It will never be the same
And you who hold the cards now
Will likely win the game.
You’ll take away the loveliness
That once was mine to cherish
You’ll ruin our land, our waterways
And all our way of life will perish.
There is one thing you will never take away,
From me, and others, too,
It’s the memory of my childhood
My adult years to the present,
Of the place I’ve called my homeland
When life was oh, so pleasant.
And as you do your boasting
Of all your conquests here,
Think of the lives you’ve ruined
And the things we held so dear.
So go and do your worst deeds
Without a thought or care,
Take away our rural scenery
And leave our lifestyle bare.
Just remember, you who’ve done so,
As you sit and count your bounty
There’s a lot of people hurting
And a lot of trust you’ve broken
Down here in old South County.
-Joyce Kirchner, West River
Thanks to Friends of Bay Weekly for $4,080
Dear Bay Weekly,
On behalf of the Academy of Natural Sciences, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to you and the Bay Weekly staff and readers for the continuing support of our Estuarine Research Center.
In early May we coordinated a volunteer tree planting at our site on St. Leonard Creek in Calvert County. The purpose was to enlarge and improve the riparian buffer component of our BayScapes nature trail. During this time we planted 100 trees in shelters along the margin of Mackall Cove on St. Leonard Creek. This effort was accomplished by more than 20 volunteers who put forth a tremendous effort.
We are especially grateful to you and the supporters of Bay Weekly for providing the financial support for this effort through American Forests' Global ReLeaf project. The importance of riparian buffers in reducing erosion and filtering nonpoint source runoff has been well-documented. We are proud to have been able to work with you to bring this important project to fruition.
We have tried to be a good partner with the Bay Weekly and your readers. Together we have accomplished, and will continue to accomplish, great things as we continue to increase our knowledge of nature and to inspire stewardship of our environment. Once again, allow me to express my thanks and gratitude for your commitment to our environment.
-Robert P. Gallagher, Acting Center Director
Editor's note: With the $8,000 raised at our 1999 Birthday Bash, American Forests supported this and two other projects to "ReLeaf" Chesapeake Country.
Copyright 2000
Bay Weekly
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