13508 Harrison Avenue
Fort Washington, MD 20744
July 29, 2000
Dear Mrs. Stamper,
I have visited the "Araby Bog" and it is indeed a "Magnolia Bog" as defined in 1918 by botanist W.L McAtee ("McAteean bog").
As I noted in earlier correspondence, the McAteean or Magnolia bogs are among the rarest and most sensitive of the surviving wetland plant communities on the East Coast. Magnolia bogs, as noted previously, do not conform to the "classic" definition of a bog; rather they are technically a "fen". But the definition of the McAteean or Magnolia bog is dependent on the signature plant community. There is no question that the Araby Bog fits the definition of a McAteean bog. The signature fringe of Sweet Bay Magnolias, the extensive sphagnum moss mats, the many ericaceous shrubs (viburnums, heath, etc.), the spectacular displays of Cinnamon Fern, the rare Poison Sumac plants, combine to definitively confirm this as a classic Magnolia Bog.
I was somewhat surprised at the Maryland Department of the Environment's earlier quibbling over whether this wetland was or was not a bog. I would have expected a trained wetland delineator to recognize this rare plant community immediately, regardless of what name it is given. (My professional experience with the National Park Service has involved protection issues for one of the five known remaining Magnolia bogs; I have visited all the others in recent years. While I am not an expert in botany, the Magnolia Bog plant community is readily recognizable, and I can assort definitively that this is indeed a Magnolia Bog.
I was further impressed by this network of Magnolia Bogs, because there is nearly a complete absence of unwanted non-native invasive species, both within the bogs and also in the important surrounding upland forest, which is the "recharge" area for the bog's ground water supply. This is also the largest system of bogs in total area that I have seen, by far. I would be extremely concerned that any intensive construction and development within the surrounding woodlands would have a devastating effect on this, perhaps the largest and most pristine example of a McAteean or Magnolia Bog. Both interruption and/or degradation of its critical water supply, as well as opportunistic invasion of alien plant species, would be a likely result of such development.
Thank you again for your assistance in locating this important natural area; it was indeed a pleasure to visit it. This unique area should, without doubt, be preserved and protected for the education and enjoyment of Charles County citizens, current and future.
Sincerely,
James A. Rosenstock