Fowler: Patuxent ‘on death row’

Former senator still hopeful

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by ERICA MITRANO Former Senator Bernie Fowler, center, wades into the Patuxent River with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), House Majority Leader, and Sen. Roy Dyson (D- Calvert, St. Mary’s, Charles). E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

In this annual event, the former Democratic state senator and staunch advocate for the river leads politicians and citizens into the Patuxent, where they gauge the health of river by measuring its clarity.

Specifically, they see how far they can walk until they can no longer see Fowler’s white tennis shoes.

Fowler’s shoes have clearly seen a lot of service; his big toes poked out the front. But while he’s been leading people into the river for two decades, not much has changed. This year, his shoes were visible 26 inches under the surface of the water, five more inches than last year. But he said that’s about what he expected, and the clarity doesn’t represent a great improvement in the river’s health.

Before the wade-in, Fowler and others addressed a small crowd standing under a plaque reading: ‘‘Never, never, never give up.” But Fowler’s remarks make clear just how dire he considers the situation to be.

‘‘She’s on death row,” he said of ‘‘Lady Patuxent.” ‘‘We put her there. But we’re making strong appeals. She’s not going to die. We’re going to bring her back. We will save this river, trust me.”

As evidence of some improvement, Fowler pointed out the grasses that lined the riverbank, which he said had not been there last year.

‘‘That’s a sign of hope. We don’t like to sound like doomsday today. Today is a day of hope,” he said.

Charles Harrell, senior pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prince Frederick, exhorted listeners to see saving the river as a religious duty, and asked them to work to get their congregations involved.

‘‘At bottom, I really believe it’s a spiritual issue, care of the environment which He has entrusted to us,” Harrell said. ‘‘... If you’ve got the energy of a thousand or more congregations in the area behind this thing, there is nothing that can’t happen.”

A stream of politicians also shared their thoughts.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), House Majority Leader, was one of those who chimed in.

‘‘I have to disagree with my friend Bernie Fowler on the responsibility of elected officials,” Hoyer said. Fowler had said government officials bear the responsibility to act to save the river. ‘‘It’s the responsibility of everybody sitting under this tent, of everybody who shares the benefits from the river or the bay.

‘‘I’m not sure how far we’re going to get,” Hoyer said before the wade-in. ‘‘It’s as you’ve said — a simple but profound truth. Although we have a simple and profound test that Bernie Fowler has made famous around the world, we’re not doing enough.”

Sen. Roy Dyson (D-Calvert, St. Mary’s, Charles) touted legislative advances in caring for the watershed, including shoreline protection, expansion of the ‘‘critical area” and protection for female blue crabs.

Dyson also pointed to structures in view on Broomes Island as examples of the problems the river faces.

‘‘Look at some of these houses here. They’re right on the water. How can you clean up the river and the bay and its tributaries if you build like that?” Dyson asked.

Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) said she intends to continue working for the river but that there will be no single ‘‘silver bullet” solution to its woes. Instead, what is needed is ‘‘silver buckshot — a lot of different efforts over years to make a difference for the river.”

Despite the somber subject, the sweltering afternoon had its light moments as well, especially when students from the Chesapeake Public Charter School performed songs, dances and poetry about the river and the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland folksinger Tom Wisner, who composed some of the selections performed by the children, treated the crowd to a few songs as well.

And Dyson incorrectly answered a question intended for the children when he prompted the hesitating elementary students to respond ‘‘blue whale” to a question from Hoyer about the largest creature in the world.

The correct answer, coral reefs — specifically, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — was ultimately provided by one of the youngsters.

But talk ultimately returned to the state of the river.

Fowler asked his listeners to have ‘‘courage and optimism that good things are going to finally happen.”

But he also said, ‘‘I’m not going to try to make you cry today, but there’s been times I’ve wanted to do just that.”