Pine Lane
19.6 Acres Cool Spring Cove
Interview with Stanley Watkins (SW) and Benjamin Hahn (BH)

Stanley Watkins was one of the original purchasers of the Pine Lane Development, Benjamin Hahn is President of Pine Lane Community Association

SRLT:

What is the history of the Pine Lane property?

SW:

It was originally part of the land owned by the order of Capuchin monks and known as the St. Conrad's Friary.

BH:

The actual friary house is on the adjoining property. The Bartlett-Haywood mansion, built in the early 20th century, is still standing there today.

SRLT:

What did the monks do with the property?

SW:

They lived and worked in the Friary. It was their home and seminary. They used the Pine Lane retreat house for recreation for inner-city youths.

SRLT:

Who owned it before them?

SW:

Ownership dating back to the early 1900s was in the hands of Arthur Sherwood from Baltimore who used the Pine Lane property as a summer home.

BH:

He made many improvements to the property, putting in a natural spring swimming pool with a pump house down on the Cove, building the retreat house, and planting dozens of pink dogwoods.

SRLT:

When did the monks give up ownership?

BH:

Apparently, they decided they needed to be less isolated, so the monks moved their base of operations to Washington DC.

SW:

I was a member of the small partnership that bought the Pine Lane property from Fr. Urban and the Capuchin monks in 1978.

SRLT:

When was a conservation easement established?

SW:

At the time of transfer, the purchasing partnership was interested in limiting development on the property to protect Cool Spring Cove. Our group deeded a conservation easement to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 1979. It was a first for CBF. The easement transferred to the Severn River Land Trust in 1995.

SRLT:

How was the property protected?

BH:

A plan was developed by Gutting Landscape Architects, restricting construction from the steep slopes and ravines that predominate on the property. John Gutting, consulting with Stan Watkins as one of the development owners, also took special care to configure the lots so that any home built would have minimal environmental impact and be placed to maintain the rural, woodland character.

SW:

We also limited development beyond the original retreat house to six homes on about 20 acres.

SRLT:

Why do you see this property as worthy of conserving?

SW:

Cool Spring Cove is a unique natural feature of our river and it's within sight of the Annapolis Route 50 bridge.

BH:

It has multiple springs bubbling up near the shoreline and actually into Cool Spring Cove itself.v

SRLT:

What kind of plants are on the property?

BH:

In the uplands, we have a wide variety of oaks, including a particularly large white oak on lot 3, and 100-foot tall, four-foot diameter black and Spanish oaks on lots 2 and 6.

SW:

Pine Lane itself is named after the large eastern white pines that border Pine Lane Retreat Road.v

BH:

We also have some large tuliptrees and black gums.v

SRLT:

What animals have you seen?

BH:

In the interior, we have many deer. I saw six this afternoon! Plus, there are small mammals such as fox, raccoons, moles, and shrews.

SW:

On the water, we have several muskrat and even a resident pair of otter!

SRLT:

What about bird life?

SW:

The grasses have been coming back on the river and cove, and with it we have seen a resurgence of bufflehead. I have not seen as many canvasback ducks as in the past.

BH:

We have a resident great horned owl, and several pileated woodpeckers. There are always blue herons and a belted kingfisher working the Cove's shoreline.

SW:

Yes, and the most magnificent sight of late has been the bald eagle. I understand it nests on the other side of the river at SRLT's Brewer Pond easement. The eagle has been spending quality time in our Cove doing some productive fishing on this side of the river!

SRLT:

What is the importance of the conservation easement on Pine Lane?

BH:

Pine Lane is a particularly pristine but fragile island of nature in the midst of a growing suburban metropolitan area. After all, we are bordered on the south by Route 50 and on the northeast by Ritchie Highway, Route 2.

SW:

It would be easy to simply throw our hands up and say 'OK, let's bring on the asphalt and develop it to the max.'

BH:

But the Scenic Severn River and Cool Spring Cove also border us on the southwest. Our area, small as it is, anchors the southern edge of the magnificent Chase-Rays Arnold Forest, listed as No. 1 in the Severn River Natural Areas of Highest Priority for Preservation published by the Severn River Commission in 1986.

SW:

By taking this stand and limiting development, we are preserving a piece of nature both for wildlife and for future generations of human residents of our community. We encourage others to take a similar stance.