Thank You for Helping to Save the Forest at Glebe Heights

The Forest at Glebe Heights along the South River

Dear members, supporters, partners, and friends, 

Within my first month as your riverkeeper in 2022, I sent out my first call to action to protect over 40 acres of forest on the Mayo Peninsula in the South River watershed that were under threat to be developed. That first comment letter I submitted had over 600 of your signatures on it, asking the county to deny the subdivision application. 

Since that first letter, I have submitted five additional comment letters over the course of 3 years, adding to years of efforts from additional advocates fighting for this forest before I ever even became your Riverkeeper. Along with Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Neighbors of the Mayo Peninsula, Growth Action Network and countless community advocates, Arundel Rivers fought against the plan to destroy the priority forest to develop over 40 lots and instead advocated to protect the site’s specimen trees, stream habitat, downstream oyster and underwater grass habitat, and forest interior dwelling species habitat. Thanks to this collective effort, we can now celebrate the permanent protection of the forest at Glebe Heights. 

At the first County Council meeting of the new year, the Council voted with bipartisan support to approve the County Executive Pittman's proposal to buy this property, protecting more than 68 acres of forest at Glebe Heights. This land will now remain undeveloped, forever.

Forests are critical to our state and county’s natural resources, economy, resilience, and health. Glebe Forest in particular is part of a larger network of intact forests that provide critical habitat for forest interior dwelling bird species. According to a Chesapeake Bay modeling tool, each acre of forest converted to developed land in Anne Arundel County can generate over seven times the amount of nitrogen pollution and over 36 times the amount of sediment pollution to nearby streams each year. This forest is located directly upstream of Arundel Rivers Federation’s Glebe Bay oyster restoration site where your oysters from the Marylanders Grow Oysters program are planted in an effort to boost local populations, provide habitat, and improve water quality. From the first community meeting where the development sketch plan was presented, it was clear this project could negatively impact the South River. 

I am now starting my ninth year as a Riverkeeper – my fourth year as your South, West, Rhode ‘keeper - and I can tell you that these kinds of wins are rare and should be celebrated. It’s my job to be the “voice of the rivers,” and so I’d like to say “thank you.” Thank you to everyone who signed on or submitted their own comments in support of protecting this forest, thank you to those who attended community meetings for the past several years, thank you to the community partners and neighbors who spread the word, thank you to the county for the opportunity for comments and for thoughtfully responding to plans and concerns, and thank you to the County Council for making the right move to protect this forest forever.

See you on the (now slightly better protected) river, 

Elle Bassett

South, West, and Rhode Riverkeeper