New Golf Course Proposed In Critical Nature Area, Anne Arundel County Has Mixed Reactions

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Navy is considering a proposal to build a golf course in a sensitive nature zone in Annapolis, reports said. Some residents welcomed the idea, while others petitioned against the project.

The Chesapeake Conservancy said the course would be located in the Greenbury Point Conservation Area. That property sits across the Severn River from the U.S. Naval Academy and is on the Naval Support Activity Annapolis installation.

The conservancy also said the land "lies entirely within the critical area, designated by the state of Maryland as crucial to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries."

Supporters

Supporters think the golf course would create a pleasant way to enjoy nature.

Annapolis resident Michael Collins wrote a letter in the Capital Gazette saying "golf and environmentalism go hand in glove."

He pointed to The Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course as "a gem" to study. The Crownsville site reopened in early 2021 after a multi-year renovation that added a nature sanctuary to the course.

Collins called The Preserve a "model of environmental stewardship."

Related: Renovated Golf Course Reopens, Expects Boom For Distanced Events

"A golf course at Greenbury Point would serve the public need for recreation and provide habitat for wildlife," Collins said in the letter. "It’s a win-win. I would only recommend that the Naval Academy Golf Association partner with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to make Greenbury Point Golf Course a model for other courses to emulate."

Opponents

On the flip side, opponents argue that the Navy already has one golf course on the installation. That course, the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club, is a short walk from the proposed site.

The Chesapeake Conservancy and the Severn River Association started a petition on change.org in opposition to the course. More than 2,700 people have signed the document, which calls the golf course "a bad deal for the Chesapeake Bay." The petition is posted here.

Petition organizers worry that tree removal will eliminate habitats, accelerate erosion and increase runoff. Golf course fertilizer could also be an issue, as contaminated soils may challenge bay cleanup efforts.

"The Department of Defense has been an exemplary leader within the Chesapeake Bay Program," Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said in a May 13 press release. "It defies all logic to consider a proposal that would reduce wildlife habitat and may reduce public access to the shoreline on currently publicly accessible land in a conservation area."

Next Steps

The Naval Academy Golf Association already submitted a request to Naval Support Activity Annapolis to lease the land and build the course.

Naval Support Activity Annapolis is currently reviewing the proposal and developing a recommendation. After this step, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Washington will consider the pitch. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations, and Environment) will then evaluate the idea.

If everybody is on board, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command will follow requirements from the National Environmental Protection Agency. This orders federal agencies to weigh the potential environmental effects of major builds.

"The proposal is in the earliest stages of review," Naval District Washington Director of Public Affairs Ed Zeigler told Patch in an email. "This process will include the opportunity for the public to comment on proposed projects. With any project of this magnitude, transparency, community involvement, and input will be critical to meeting the needs of the Navy and the Annapolis community."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Patch has a partnership with the Chesapeake Conservancy. The conservancy writes a weekly list of environmental events, and we post it as a story on our website. All of those articles are viewable here.

This story was not part of that partnership. Patch Field Editor Jacob Baumgart independently verified all the facts in this article. We also included comments from all perspectives on the debate.