Defense bill protects Greenbury Point
Maryland delegation instrumental in getting strengthened provisions on use of peninsula into final version of legislation
Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation have successfully blocked the U.S. Naval Academy Athletic Association from building a second golf course on Greenbury Point.
The announcement comes on the heels of Congress passing the final version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act Thursday morning. The provisions for protecting the Greenbury Point Conservation Area contain even stronger language than the draft legislation passed by the Senate earlier this year and make it nearly impossible to deforest the 231-acre peninsula extending out into the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River.
“The Secretary of the Navy may not modify or restrict public access to the Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Activity Annapolis, Maryland,” the legislation now reads. The only exceptions are temporary closures to ensure public safety, or the transfer of the land to another public entity, for example, turning the land over to Anne Arundel County or the National Park Service, with preservation and public access as the goal.
Conservation advocates hailed the move and breathed a sigh of relief Thursday, not only for the strengthened language, but because U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, faced opposition from Republicans when he attempted to get Greenbury Point protection enshrined in the House version of the Defense Authorization Act. Hope for getting the language into the final bill, which Congress must pass each year, fell largely to Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin.
“Senator Van Hollen, Senator Cardin and Representative Sarbanes deserve enormous credit and gratitude,” Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said in a statement issued shortly after the House of Representatives passed the final version of the Defense Authorization Act Thursday morning. The bill now heads to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.
Dunn praised the lawmakers for listening to constituents and taking “a stand for
our trees and wildlife to protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay and to ensure that everyone, not just the privileged few, will have access to one of the last remaining natural areas of the Severn River.”
The fate of Greenbury Point has been a matter of enormous public controversy since May 2022, when conservation advocates learned that Chet Gladchuk, director of both academy athletics and the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Association, was seeking to build a second golf course on Greenbury Point, which is owned by the Navy and managed by Naval Support Activity Annapolis.
Outdoor enthusiasts protested that the golf course would be detrimental to the Chesapeake Bay and would further restrict public access to the remaining forested areas and hiking trails on the peninsula.
“For years, Annapolis residents and visitors have cherished the opportunity to explore Greenbury Point — one of the few publicly accessible areas of the bay,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “As the Navy has considered altering that access, our constituents expressed their strong opposition to changing that policy. That’s why we fought for this provision that says in no uncertain terms — Greenbury Point must stay open to the public.”
Gladchuk did not return a call seeking comment, nor did Jerry Miller, the Class of 1979 graduate who hired legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus’ firm to do preliminary design work for a potential second course. Miller, the CEO of a Virginia Beach real estate developer, told the Washington Post that he agreed to foot the bill for planning and feasibility studies on overhauling the peninsula, and confirmed he retained Nicklaus and his son as consultants.
“And that’s all we’re doing. There’s no contract to design a golf course,” Miller said. He described Greenbury Point as “a beautiful piece of property.”
On that point, there is wide agreement. Maryland nature lovers were delighted earlier this year when Gov. Wes Moore posted on social media that he’d taken his new dog, Tucker Balti Moore, for a walk on a Greenbury Point trail. While some paths are open year-round, the conservation area is only fully accessible a few days a month. Conservationists say the schedule has been especially restrictive ever since the golf course proposal came to light. In December, for example, the east and west access roads are only open on Sundays and Mondays. Gates were even shut the Saturday of the Army-Navy game.
Ostensibly, the full conservation area is closed whenever Naval Academy students or other military units are using a century-old firing range. That could change soon. Under pressure from Cardin, Sarbanes and Van Hollen, Naval Support Activity Annapolis announced in late September that the Navy had inked a $300,000 contract with a Georgia firm to design a new berm and enclosure for the firing range.
That announcement followed an earlier uproar over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposal to expand the so-called “Danger Zones” around Greenbury Point, including frequent closures of Carr Creek to small watercraft.
In a report opposing the Danger Zones, the Severn River Commission, an advisory board convened by the Anne Arundel County government, maintained that the firing range has long been not just a safety hazard, but an environmental hazard.
“The rifle range has been in use for over 100 years and is estimated to have had millions of rounds of lead-containing munitions,” the commission wrote in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this year. The eight-member board also noted the target shooting area does not comply with several Environmental Protection Agency best practices for rifle ranges.
The commission called on the Navy to “harden its existing facility to eliminate hazards to people on land or
“For years, Annapolis residents and visitors have cherished the opportunity to explore Greenbury Point – one of the few publicly accessible areas of the bay.” — Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen
water,” rather than further restrict public access. Plans for the expanded Danger Zones appear to be on hold, but Sue Steinbrook, an Annapolis resident who moderates the 3,200-member Facebook group Save Greenbury Point, noted Thursday that until the Navy completes the firing range project, area residents should not expect greater Greenbury Point access.
She was elated, however, by news from Congress Thursday, and praised the coalition of conservation groups (including the Severn River Association and the Chesapeake Conservancy) and the grass-roots volunteers who did everything from visiting Capitol Hill to painting “Save Greenbury Point” on hundreds of rocks.
There may be more work to do, she said, such as monitoring other NSAA projects like a proposed RV park, but for now, the congressional action is cause to celebrate.
“These new protections will make it very difficult to put a golf course in a conservation area,” Steinbrook said. “This truly was a community effort.”