Living on the River
The Wicomico River watershed is home to people from all different backgrounds. The rich and the poor, the scientists and the industrial workers, the naturalists and the casual boaters all interact with the river in some way. The diversity of residents is matched only by the diversity of natural life in the community.
 Photo by Michael Bowles
Dr. Joan Maloof is an active and inspiring naturalist and conservationist. She formerly taught biology and environmental studies at Salisbury University and has authored two books, which unearth the wisdom and wonder of forests. She founded the Old-Growth Forest Network with the goal of forming a publicly accessible network of protected forestland across the U.S.
|
 Photo by Todd Mignosa
Sam Gibson is the vice president of the Wicomico Environmental Trust and a very passionate public servant. He also is an avid kayaker who loves to spend time on the river.
|
 Photo by Todd Mignosa
Jess Parsons grew up along the Wicomico River. He lives behind Cato Oil, in Salisbury, a short walk from the river’s edge.
|
 Photo by Todd Mignosa
Tyrone Stevenson lives about a ten minutes walk from the river’s edge in downtown Salisbury. He works in Ocean City, but the peacefulness of the Wicomico is far more appealing to him than the bustling beaches along the boardwalk.
|
 Photo source: Lynne Peverley
Lynne Peverley lives in a large waterfront house along the
Wicomico River. She has been a volunteer for Wicomico Creekwatchers for twelve
years.
|
Over millions of years of evolution, nature has formed an ever-changing balance of life and community-structure. The plants and animals cooperate and compete among each other, creating a system of actions, reactions, inputs, and outputs. Their ability to thrive is limited and facilitated by the natural forces and rudimentary elements that sketch out the landscape and supply energy for growth. The greatly varied conditions lead to interrelated microhabitats, where a diversity of life flourishes. The species keep each other in check from the top down and bottom up.
|
The Wicomico River and Chesapeake Shipbuilding from Paul's porch;
Photo by Todd Mignosa
The ospreys that rule the sky may be seen as one of the most powerful forces in the food web, but they depend on the abundance fish to provide them with protein. These fish must live in a healthy environment that is full of underwater grasses. When excess nutrients run-off from farm fields and create algae blooms and dead zones, underwater grasses and fish cannot survive; neither can the osprey. The seemingly separate, random parts function as a whole, cohesive system.
Humans, through technological and structural innovations, have been able to ignore the natural limitations placed on all other life. The winds and tide are rarely a match to our concrete bulkheads, steel bridges, and brick house. There are no predators or pests that we cannot kill. The threat of disease no longer inhibits our growth. We have attempted to separate ourselves from the natural system that we live in.
We all value nature differently. For the most part, we give it instrumental value. This means that the worth of the Wicomico River is determined by its ability to make us better off. This could be for economic, health, or aesthetic reasons. Few people see the river as having any intrinsic value on its own. If its currents do not carry with them a source of human satisfaction, then we must change its function to fit our desires.
We have created a new system, the economy. The economy could be thought of as the ecology of human society. People cooperate and compete among one another. Inputs, of time and resources, form wealth and material goods. The rich are able to accumulate more and seem to rule the system, but they depend on the work of the poor. All levels of the economy interconnect and form distinct neighborhoods, or microhabitats, where certain people are better-off.
Some neighborhoods are filled with large, water-front houses, where people can relax while observing the constant boat traffic and natural beauty. Their views serve to connect them to more than just the economy. They derive pleasure from the instrumental values of nature. Some of the more poor neighborhoods are just as close to the river. Although it is the same river, these residents often have no view of the activity on it. It is much more challenging to connect to a river that you cannot see from fifty yards away.
Fitzwater Street runs parallel to the Wicomico River in the downtown, industrial area of Salisbury. I talked to a member of the community, Paul, who lives within a stone’s throw of the river. He used to enjoy sitting on his porch, watching the barges and jet skis cruise by. Ever since Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corporation constructed their large complex that obstructs the view of the water, Paul has found it hard to identify any value in the river.
When we base our appreciation off of what we get, we end up with a divided community and a polluted river. We are all in some way connected to the same system; the Wicomico River. Every action and decision we make impacts all other life in our system. If we learn to value the Wicomico for what it is, not what we get out of it, then we can come together and create a community that not only thrives on a healthy river, but one that uses the Wicomico as an everyday resource on which we spend time.
Humans, through technological and structural innovations, have been able to ignore the natural limitations placed on all other life. The winds and tide are rarely a match to our concrete bulkheads, steel bridges, and brick house. There are no predators or pests that we cannot kill. The threat of disease no longer inhibits our growth. We have attempted to separate ourselves from the natural system that we live in.
We all value nature differently. For the most part, we give it instrumental value. This means that the worth of the Wicomico River is determined by its ability to make us better off. This could be for economic, health, or aesthetic reasons. Few people see the river as having any intrinsic value on its own. If its currents do not carry with them a source of human satisfaction, then we must change its function to fit our desires.
We have created a new system, the economy. The economy could be thought of as the ecology of human society. People cooperate and compete among one another. Inputs, of time and resources, form wealth and material goods. The rich are able to accumulate more and seem to rule the system, but they depend on the work of the poor. All levels of the economy interconnect and form distinct neighborhoods, or microhabitats, where certain people are better-off.
Some neighborhoods are filled with large, water-front houses, where people can relax while observing the constant boat traffic and natural beauty. Their views serve to connect them to more than just the economy. They derive pleasure from the instrumental values of nature. Some of the more poor neighborhoods are just as close to the river. Although it is the same river, these residents often have no view of the activity on it. It is much more challenging to connect to a river that you cannot see from fifty yards away.
Fitzwater Street runs parallel to the Wicomico River in the downtown, industrial area of Salisbury. I talked to a member of the community, Paul, who lives within a stone’s throw of the river. He used to enjoy sitting on his porch, watching the barges and jet skis cruise by. Ever since Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corporation constructed their large complex that obstructs the view of the water, Paul has found it hard to identify any value in the river.
When we base our appreciation off of what we get, we end up with a divided community and a polluted river. We are all in some way connected to the same system; the Wicomico River. Every action and decision we make impacts all other life in our system. If we learn to value the Wicomico for what it is, not what we get out of it, then we can come together and create a community that not only thrives on a healthy river, but one that uses the Wicomico as an everyday resource on which we spend time.
