A New Year message from the Executive Director
The following letter to the editor was published December 24, 2011, in The Star Democrat, and December 28, 2011, in The Record Observer. We are bombarded daily with news of economic volatility, hostile politics, lawsuits, a polluted Chesapeake Bay, our warming climate, and this year even hurricanes and an earthquake. Thankfully, the holiday season is here to remind us of the abundance in our lives of things that really matter. Here on the Eastern Shore, development is down, but so is sprawl. It was a wild weather year for farming, but good prices and good soybeans may save the day. Although oysters are down due to high rainfall, the rockfish young-of-the-year (YOY) survey indicated the highest reproduction ever. The Frederick Douglass statue was completed this year and stands proudly on the Talbot County Court House green. Chesapeake College enrollment is up, school ratings are up, we have new medical facilities underway, and wind and solar energy projects are springing up everywhere. Perhaps most importantly, our Eastern Shore communities have pulled together strongly in the most difficult times with new homeless shelters, multiple food pantry drives, and even several new community park projects in our towns. I am confident that the Eastern Shore will emerge from this current recession stronger and more resilient than when we entered it. Enjoy your family and friends, be thankful for the great abundance we have here on the Eastern Shore, and remain hopeful that the future is bright for this region and this nation. ROB ETGEN Executive Director Eastern Shore Land Conservancy