A Different Breed of 'Environmentalist'

Two interesting editorial pieces ran in the The Daily Times recently. 

On December 28, 2009 an Opinion piece on the subject of the Coastkeeper/Waterkeeper Alliance notice of intent to sue Perdue Farms, Inc and a Perdue chicken grower for illegal polluted discharges attempted to dismiss the legality of the situation and called for a fireside chat around the kitchen table as a reasonable solution to the problem.

The editorial further chastised Waterkeeper Alliance for taking what the editor deemed to be too harsh an action.  After all, what's the rush in stopping this poultry facility from filling our waterways with unsafe levels of fecal coliform and e.coli, as well as arsenic, nitrogen and phosphorus?  Let's just talk about it for awhile.  Given Delmarva Poultry Industry (DPI) efforts the past few years to equate the word 'Waterkeeper' with the devil, I'm sure this poultry grower would have welcomed us to his kitchen table with open arms.

And why not talk about it?   After all, that's pretty much what everyone's been doing for the last 25 years and we can all see the benefit of that approach when it comes to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, which is worse now than 25 years ago.

Then, on January 27, 2010 a column in The Worcester County Times attempted to distance one local environmental group from another local group.  It was not unexpected, at least to me, given the past year.  The Maryland Coastal Bays Program has probably more than once had to explain that Assateague Coastal Trust or the Coastkeeper is not part of its organization.

 I'm glad the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) approached this matter head-on  with it's January column in The Worcester County Times, and finally said what's needed to be said for a long time about the differences between Assateague Coastal Trust and MCBP.

First - both of these outstanding organizations have a clear and definite purpose in this watershed.   Let me be perfectly clear on this point.

MCBP has the government funding, the staffing, and the mission statement that allows them to  bring diverse stakeholders together.  They are 'the safe green group', the group who can make a developer, a farmer, an elected official, a government agency staffer feel comfortable in the room together.....get them around 'the kitchen table.'

In that role, MCBP is extremely effective in helping to create policy for our watershed that will preserve our current environmental resources and restore those resources we have lost as a result of previous poor environmental policies.   Every watershed needs a group like Maryland Coastal Bays Program.

But there are times when the good intensions of those diverse stakeholders, the will of those politicians and the ability of those government agencies fail.

That is when the need for a 'darker green' environmental watchdog is needed. An organization that does not accept government funding and therefore is not afraid of losing that funding if it takes too strong an advocacy role.  A group that is not afraid it will make it's Board members angry by taking a strong advocacy stance.  A group that is not afraid to speak truth to power.

And every watershed needs one of those groups too!

Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) is the organization in this watershed who's job it is to speak truth to power.   ACT began nearly 40 years ago when Judith Colt Johnson, Ajax Eastman, Bill Dwight and others stood up to the federal government and a wealthy developer, and said NO to the planned commercial development of Assateague Island.  

ACT took action in the 80's when Ilia Fehrer stood up to Worcester County officials and more big developers and said NO to the loss of thousands of acres of coastal natural resources along Chincoteague Bay.  Her actions led to ACT expanding its mission to the preservation of all of Worcester County.

ACT again expanded its mission in 2002 when it took on the Assateague Coastkeeper, part of the national Waterkeeper Alliance program.  This on-the-water advocate provided a voice for our coastal bays, creeks and river; someone who would stand up to polluters and use the power of the Clean Water Act laws to protect the health and safety of our waterways.

So don't lump us in with all the other environmentalists.  ACT and the Coastkeeper are a different breed.  Some may find our advocacy role too harsh, but given the pending death of the Chesapeake Bay and the deterioration of our Coastal Bays our supporters understand the need for citizen activism, enforcement of the laws, and a loud voice when one is needed.