eastern shore maryland farmland conservation

August 2011

August 25, 2011

Howard Wood Scholarship

ESLC Announces 2011 Scholarship Winner, Opens 2012 Application Period Queenstown, Maryland – August 25, 2011 – Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) announced the first ever recipient of its Howard Wood Memorial Scholarship. Blake Holliday, a resident of East New Market, was recently awarded the $1,000 scholarship at a small awards ceremony held at ESLC’s Queenstown Office. The Scholarship honors a founding board member of ESLC – Howard Wood- who was committed to maintaining the Eastern Shore’s rich rural and agricultural legacy. “I really am honored,” said Holliday, a Chesapeake College student who plans to attend the University of Maryland in 2012. “I appreciate it especially with how the economy is. I hope I can make Mr. Wood proud – I’ll do my best.” The Howard Wood Scholarship was established by the family of the Mr. Wood to honor his lifelong commitment to youth, conservation and the Eastern Shore’s rich rural heritage. ESLC is currently accepting applications for the 2012 scholarship. The scholarship application is open to anyone looking to pursue a career in agriculture, land use planning alternative energy planning or other conservation related field. The competition is open to those who are residents of the six counties ESLC serves – Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. Applications are available by clicking here. To apply, applicants should fill out an application, provide a high school or college transcript and submit a 500-word original essay describing their response to the following question: Consider the Eastern Shore in the next 25 years – what is your vision for the Shore? What will you do to assure the Eastern Shore remains the rural gem and special place that it is for the future? Please include your academic plans, career aspirations and future goals when responding to this question. “Young people like Blake are the key

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August 22, 2011

Easton Point Photo Exhibition Planned

On Thursday September 1, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy's Center for Towns will host an exhibition of images collected from the community during the past month about what they would love to see or like to have changed at the Easton Point Project property. The Town of Easton owns 11 acres on the Tred Avon River at 672 W. Glenwood Avenue and is looking to the local community for ideas on what to do with it. Attendants will have the opportunity to review and comment on images as well as the chance to discuss ideas with the project's design partner, a landscape architecture studio from Philadelphia University. This is the second step in a five-part community design process. Following the exhibition, the landscape architecture studio will prepare preliminary plans for the property to be presented back to members of the Easton community in November and December. Final plan presentation will take place in the Spring of 2012. "This is an exciting time for the community of Easton and we hope everyone will come see what their neighbors want for Easton's shared waterfront," said Lisetta Silvestri, ESLC's Community Projects Manager. The event will take place September 1 at 6:30pm at the Easton Fire Hall, 315 Aurora Park Drive Easton, MD 21601. Ongoing updates about the project can be viewed at centerfortowns.org. To join the mailing list, please contact Silvestri at 443.988.2347 or lsilvestri@eslc.org

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August 12, 2011

ESLC Seeks National Accreditation

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) a private, nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of farmland and habitat on the Eastern Shore announced today its intention to apply for national accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance. This rigorous land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations, also known as land trusts, which meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. ESLC is the first land trust solely based in the state of Maryland to apply for national accreditation. ESLC was also the first conservation or environmental organization in the country to receive the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organization’s Standards of Excellence Seal in 2000 and was reaccredited in 2004 and 2008. ESLC is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization committed to preserving and sustaining the vibrant communities of the Eastern Shore and the lands and waters that connect them. Since its inception in 1990, ESLC has helped landowners to protect more than 50,000 acres of farmland and important habitat on the Eastern Shore. "During a time when the public is demanding accountability from government and nonprofit organizations, accreditation will help provide the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation the public is looking for. "This is a very big endeavor for Eastern Shore Land Conservancy that will not only improve the way we do our work but help us to be more effective at achieving our mission," said Rob Etgen, ESLC Executive Director. "Accreditation will help build even broader public support for our very important work to preserve the Eastern Shore that we all love." Participation in the LTA program, operated by the Land Trust Alliance is voluntary. "We work very hard to maintain the highest level of excellence as a nonprofit and this application as well as our MANO re-certification is a great

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August 8, 2011

ESLC Welcomes New Staff

August 8, 2011 –Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the addition of Josh Hastings, Bill Mattimore and Dorsey Clark to its staff. Hastings joins ESLC as its Policy Manager, where he will help ESLC both advance proactive policy initiatives/legislation and oppose harmful policies/development projects. Josh will develop an organizational policy agenda, organize and mobilize a broad base of citizens/partners; and conduct public campaigns. A proud Eastern Shore native, Josh grew up in Wicomico County, on Maryland’s first certified organic farm. Over the past few years, he has served as the Legislative Assistant to the Chair of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, in the Maryland State Senate. Josh has been involved on multiple political campaigns on the local, state and federal level. He is a 2004 and 2005 graduate of Salisbury University, earning a Bachelors in Business Marketing and Bachelors in Political Science, respectively. He recently relocated to Stevensville. Also joining the ESLC staff as its new Accountant is Bill Mattimore. In this capacity, Bill will be focused on the day-to-day bookkeeping and financial planning for ESLC. A graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University, Bill received an AB in Economics and an MBA in Finance and Accounting. He holds a CPA Certification from the state of New York. He has a diverse background in financial management in the securities, mutual fund and medical administration fields and has nine years of experience working with 501c3 not-for-profit organizations. Bill and his wife Anne moved to Easton two years ago to be closer to their three children and eight grandchildren in Annapolis and Ashburn, Virginia. Rounding out the newly added staff is ESLC’s new Sassafras Environmental Education Center Program Manager, Dorsey Clarke. Dorsey, who recently completed a one year appointment as ESLC’s Volunteer Maryland Coordinator , will help with the day

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August 2011

Howard Wood Scholarship

Easton Point Photo Exhibition Planned

ESLC Seeks National Accreditation

ESLC Welcomes New Staff

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