Eastern Shore Land Conservancy

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Mission Statement
Conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of the Eastern Shore.

ExcellenceITAC Accreditation
eastern shore maryland farmland conservation

July 2013

Plein Air Easton!

We were pleased to host Plein Air artists during Plein Air Easton! at the former McCord building, which will become part of the Eastern Shore Conservation Center campus. Studio B Art Gallery in Easton donated a $500 Historic Preservation Award which this year was given to the painting that best highlighted the building. Peruse photos of artists painting inside the McCord building …  

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Etgen Presents to Talbot Chamber

Last week, we were honored to attend the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford.  Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Executive Director Rob Etgen gave a presentation about our work toward completing the Eastern Shore Conservation Center. We at ESLC are happy to be coming to Easton and becoming part of the community there. The luncheon was sponsored by Pier Pressure, which now is managing Easton Point Marina. The company also offers kayak rentals and other recreational boating services.

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Response to Governor’s Climate Change Summit

I was encouraged to see Gov. O’Malley host the Maryland Climate Change Summit and to hear the discussions on the effects of climate change, but many questions still need to be answered if we want a more resilient and prepared region. Here on the Eastern Shore, we are seeing the effects of climate change faster than nearly any other area in the country.  According to the Governor, Maryland currently is losing 1.6 acres of land every day to sea-level rise.  584 acres a year may not seem significant, but what’s happening on that land is significant.  Holland Island, just one of the 13 major Chesapeake islands to forever be sunk into the Bay, was within the past 100 years a significant place that included a thriving community of 70 homes, over 350 residents, a main street, stores, a school, a church, a baseball team and more. It’s all gone. Lost land doesn’t immediately affect those that live inland, but what about the effects of rising temperatures on farming and human health?  Will fungi or other pests prosper, or will longer growing seasons significantly increase farm outputs?  Are our roads and bridges planned to serve us through rising sea levels and more powerful storms? The Eastern Shore and its people have been resilient throughout history, but in order for us to adapt to a warmer and wetter climate, we need to prepare.  The land and life here are precious and as the Governor said, “It’s not just about what we stand for; it’s about what we stand on.” Rob Etgen Executive Director

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor 7/11/2013: Recent news about climate change reveals big issues facing the Eastern Shore: a shrinking shoreline, more and bigger storms, more salinity in our lands and farms. According to the United States Geological Survey, the Chesapeake Bay will rise two feet by 2050. Every person in the region will be affected in some way, with Dorchester County especially vulnerable with submersion of region-defining landmarks such as the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge and sites along the newly minted Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. The sea is coming, and news isn’t good … so, what now? The Eastern Shore has faced adversity before. Our history is thick with challenges, which more recently include battles over development, shifting agriculture, and traffic clogging our roadways. Through all this, a fierce combination of ingenuity, regional identity, independence, and perhaps out-and-out stubbornness has kept the Eastern Shore together as a region, and as a place we are still proud to call home. Sea level rise is just one important trend to consider – our demographics, development patterns, and economic activity also are forecasted to shift greatly. Our Eastern Shore of tomorrow likely will look very different from the one we live in today. Rather than let these forces of change wash over the region, today is the opportune time to take control. How can we build resilience regionally to safeguard what’s most important? And, of equal importance, how do we find opportunity in the changes ahead? For this conversation about our region’s gameplan for what’s ahead, mark Thursday, Oct. 3 on your calendar for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s 14th Eastern Shore planning conference: The Unsinkable Eastern Shore – Regional Resilience and Prosperity. From this event, expect the details about these trends facing the region and a showcase of actions and planning already underway. Help build a strategy

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Recent Posts

  • Roots Monthly Giving Spotlight: Amanda Thornley
  • Big Changes on the Horizon for the CREP Easement Program
  • Trails Get a Boost Across the Shore
  • Seven Legislative Efforts That Could Impact Eastern Shore Land Use and Preservation
  • Land Protection for All
  • Board Spotlight: Jules Hendrix
  • New Regional Trail Map Shows Existing and Potential Trails for a Growing Network
  • Saving Maryland’s Tidal Salt Marshes
  • From the President: The Eastern Shore’s Most Urgent Conservation Need in 2024
  • Review: ESLC Forests and Forestry Workshop
  • Volunteer Spotlight: Roger Bollman
  • Where the Wood Drake Rests: Wetland Restoration & Conservation on the Eastern Shore
  • ESLC Partners with Urban 3 to Study Eastern Shore Land Use
  • 106 Acres Protected Forever in Quaker Neck, Kent County
  • An Autumn Stroll at Bohemia River State Park