A lot has changed in Queen Anne’s County since Bets Sener Durham hooked a wagon to her Cub Cadet tractor at the age of twelve and drove herself and a friend three miles from her family’s farm the whole way to Church Hill and back. MD-213 might have a little too much traffic for that type of travel these days, but the Seners’ Southeast Creek Farm, located on a beautiful forest-fringed property between Southeast and Syberrys Creeks, will now remain just as beautiful and natural as it was in Bets’s childhood—forever.
Last week, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy finalized the permanent protection of Southeast Creek Farm, through a donated easement co-held by Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and made possible by Durham and her two brothers Tenny Sener and Ward Sener. This new easement, covering nearly 100 acres, marks an exciting conservation win for Queen Anne’s County, which has now exceeded state goals by preserving more than 43% of its agricultural zoned land. “We want to thank the Seners and Durhams for their dedication to the conservation of their spectacular property,” said David Satterfield, ESLC Director of Land Conservation. “Their love for their land is clearly shown through their actions; both through the restoration of the land for wildlife and now its protection in perpetuity. We look forward to continuing to work with them to pursue their passion for conserving this great resource for generations to come.”
Once primarily agricultural, Southeast Creek farm has transformed into a lush and thriving grassland habitat through Washington College’s Natural Lands Project (NLP). Extensive meadows will now reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in local waterways, provide beautiful scenery, serve as a model of restoration for people driving down Southeast Creek Road, and help to support the property’s waterfowl, grassland birds, beavers, wild turkeys, raccoons, and the bobwhite quail that have been heard distantly following recent meadow enhancements.
The farm’s 4,724 feet of water frontage on Southeast Creek protects ecological and scenic value for watermen, sailors, and kayakers alike. Of its 100 acres, approximately 70 acres are former grain fields now under ecological restoration, 24.5 acres are woodlands that will be managed through a forest stewardship plan to support Forest Interior Dwelling Species, and 56 acres are enrolled in a CREP buffer planting program. The easement also falls within a state-designated Targeted Ecological Area and lies within one mile of other protected lands, building valuable landscape-level connectivity.
Reflecting on his family’s move from Baltimore in the 1960s, Tenny Sener said the relocation was “expansive in terms of our level of experience,” providing both laidback recreation and contemplative corners where he and his siblings were forced to bear witness to nature, where “nothing’s going on and everything’s going on.” Tenny and Bets remain on the Eastern Shore to this day, choosing to donate a conservation easement to protect their home, simply because, as Bets said, “I love the land so much that I wanted to protect it forever.”