Page 23 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2012

On a sunny morning in late October, the small hands of fourth-
graders patted wetland grasses into place, helping Maryland
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown formally open the Masonville Cove nature
area with a ceremonial planting.
Students from Friendship Academy at Cherry Hill joined Brown
and other dignitaries at the 11-acre waterfront parcel, part of a $153 million
environmental restoration project in Brooklyn. Formerly the site of Kurt Iron
and Metal and the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, the land had
been degraded by industrial operations that included maritime salvage and
ship-breaking.
Brown recalled when the area was an industrial dumpsite, filled with 61,000
tons of debris, including materials dating back to the 1904 Great Baltimore
Fire. Now, the site – an Urban Wilderness
Conservation Area that has been capped
with clean soil and planted with native
trees, shrubs and wetland plants — is
home to walking trails, a fishing pier and a
floating dock for kayaks and canoes. The
area is free and open to the public, and is
also becoming a favorite spot for birders.
New Nature Area Emerges From
Contaminated Waterfront
rebirth
To date, the MPA cleanup at
Masonville Cove has removed:
>> 306,074 gallons of petroleum-
tainted water
>> 17,398 tons of timber
>> 6,588 tons of concrete rubble
>> 5,265 feet of electrical wire
>> 4,047 pounds of PCB-containing
electrical equipment
>> 27 abandoned vessel s
November/December 2012 ■ The Port of Baltimore [21]
Along with helping students plant wetland
grasses, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown was joined
at Masonville Cove by Living Classrooms
Foundation President and CEO James Piper
Bond, lower right, and other speakers.
BY NANCY MENEFEE JACKSON
Photography by Blaise Willig