IN ORDER TO SAVE the economy of the Chesapeake Bay region, we must save the ecology. The two are inextricably linked.
That was the argument that Rep. Wayne Gilchrest used to help nudge the state Board of Public Works toward approving a historic land purchase this month. Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. would be wise to keep it in mind as he contemplates the potential sale or lease of state-owned land in the future.
The state's purchase of the 25,000-acre Glatfelter Pulp Wood Co. property on the Eastern shore and in southern Maryland was a win-win deal for the economy and the ecology because it allows logging to continue on most of the parcels, which are spread over seven counties.
Development will be prohibited on all of the parcels - thus sparing the bay, its tributaries and wetlands from pollution while preserving wildlife habitat and the rural beauty of the region. Yet, the economy also gets a boost because 100 or more timber jobs will be saved, and more in the tourist and seafood industries won't be threatened.
Mr. Gilchrest may not be responsible for Comptroller William Donald Schaefer's last-minute change of heart in favor of the deal. Mr. Schaefer's support may have had more to do with Gov. Parris Glendening's decision to sweeten the pot by adding a second proposal to purchase a 2,000-acre tract owned by Schaefer friend Charles R. "Buddy" Jenkins.
But the congressman was nonetheless able to inject some common sense into a debate often cast as an either-or proposition.
The state doesn't have to choose between protecting the environment or providing jobs. With a little creativity, state officials can find ways to do both. For example, the state is only buying the development rights on most of the Glatfelter property. The land itself is being sold to a North Carolina company that will manage the timber harvest so as to preserve the forest.
It was encouraging that Mr. Ehrlich, whose administration-in-waiting had earlier expressed doubts about the Glatfelter deal, seemed satisfied with the final bargain - a cash deal for the state of only $3.4 million.
The new governor is now in process of reviewing all the state's assets as he scrambles to fill a $1.8 billion budget hole.
There may be some properties that should be sold outright - particularly tracts in urban areas that might serve as catalysts for redevelopment.
Ehrlich aides are also talking about leasing state-owned rural land to farmers who could use it for crops. That's an idea with a lot of potential, as long as the farmers are required to use environmentally friendly practices that don't increase bay pollution.
Maryland's financial squeeze may prevent the state from investing much more in land preservation for the next few years. But tight money should encourage innovations that would result in the state's assets being wisely managed for the benefit of all.