A few weeks ago, Marylanders were drawn to the plight of an endangered Florida manatee, which somehow had wandered into the Chesapeake Bay. After an exhausting and frustrating week, rescuers were able to save the creature from the chilly water, fly it back to Florida and release it in a wildlife refuge.
A few days later, marine biologists celebrated the release of a loggerhead turtle, which had been given a new chance for life after undergoing unprecedented cataract surgery.
The turtle was found floating off Virginia Beach a year ago, almost dead from starvation because it was unable to see its prey. Surgeons removed the cataracts and nursed the turtle back to health.
What difference does it make that one more manatee swims off the coast of Florida or that a loggerhead turtle has been saved from certain death?
These rescues may make no difference on whether these species survive, but the actions nevertheless said something important about our commitment to the environment. By doggedly pursuing the manatee and restoring sight to the turtle, we showed we are not willing to give up on even one creature.
Now state and local officials have another chance to rescue a part of our environment: Anne Arundel County's Jabez Branch, the last trout stream in Maryland's coastal plain, which empties into the Severn River.
The county is planning to buy 20 acres of woodland along the branch to preserve as open space. The state is considering whether to buy additional land to save it from pending development.
The county and state governments should purchase the property.
Admittedly brook trout aren't as cuddly as manatees and sea turtles, but restoration of the Jabez Branch has become an important symbol for local and state environmentalists. Since the trout were wiped out by highway construction a few years ago, efforts have been made to revive the branch by controlling storm water runoff and repeatedly re- stocking the stream with wild trout. At the last count, a few trout remained, but they did not appear to be spawning.
Preservation of the remaining woodland along the Jabez Branch in Gambrills may not be enough to revive the ailing stream. But it is almost certain that if the land is developed, the trout will not survive. Their loss would be a loss to us all.