eastern shore maryland farmland conservation

February 2014

February 27, 2014

Food for Thought: Big Box Design

Buzz around Easton about the potential Harris Teeter development has us thinking about interesting ways supermarkets and other large retailers build stores with the community and the environment in mind. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is a great place to start for a new construction retail store. The LEED Retail program focuses on exterior elements (such as stormwater management and modes of transportation) and interior elements (such as energy management systems, indoor air quality, and materials reuse). Harris Teeter already has multiple LEED-certified store, including a few in Maryland. Read more about for the specific case studies in Baltimore and Olney. There are opportunities to help superstores contribute more to the community. Prioritizing walkability and connectivity is an important factor for many small towns. Some stores choose to do this by locating parking lots behind stores. Examples of this type of design in Easton include the Tidewater Inn, the former McCord building (soon to be the Eastern Shore Conservation Center), and the town office on South Harrison St. Without a giant expanse of parking space, pedestrians can more easily access shops and services. Sharing parking with nearby retailers also requires less paving, saving money and opening up space for public green space. Instead of orienting a development toward cars, many retailers choose to make people the focus. Sidewalks can replace roadways for cars. Check out Denver’s approach and Davidson, North Carolina’s layout (below) for creating these types of developments and demonstrating how living streets are important for future commercial areas. Photo courtesy of Little Consulting Conserving some of this land would leave more open space, which is not only aesthetically pleasing but great for the environment! Reduced impervious surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots) means less stormwater runoff after a big rain and less pollution in the

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February 26, 2014

We’re Accredited!

QUEENSTOWN – Eastern Shore Land Conservancy this week received land trust accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. “Since our founding, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy has demanded of itself the highest standards of ethics and accountability,” said ESLC Executive Director Robert J. Etgen. “This is critical for a nonprofit using public donations and for a land trust permanently stewarding family lands. Becoming an Accredited Land Trust makes this long term commitment official – we passed the test that has become the gold standard for ethics and accountability for land trusts. Congratulations to our members for supporting ESLC, and many thanks to the Accreditation Commission for your dedication and thorough review.” ESLC was founded in 1990 as a result of widespread concern that the Eastern Shore’s important wildlife habitat and prime farmland were being consumed by sprawling development. The decision was made by the founders to preserve land on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to keep prime farmland in agriculture, to protect unique natural areas, and to perpetually monitor preserved lands. ESLC helps private landowners explore and implement various preservation options. To date, ESLC has helped to protect more than 55,000 acres with easements on 275 properties, the creation of three preserves, and assistance protecting another 16 properties. It is one of the most successful land trusts in the country. Eastern Shore Land Conservancy was awarded accreditation this February and is one of 254 accredited land trusts from across the country and is among the first accredited Maryland-based trusts. Accredited land trusts are authorized to display a seal indicating to the public that they meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure land is protected in perpetuity. The seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation. “This round of accreditation decisions represents another significant milestone for the

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February 26, 2014

ESLC Prepares to Break Ground on Conservation Center

EASTON – Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is preparing to begin construction on the Eastern Shore Conservation Center. Construction is scheduled to begin by late spring 2014 on the former McCord and Brick Row buildings on South Washington Street. The site will serve as headquarters for ESLC, as well as offices for other environmental, agricultural, and community-centered nonprofits. During the first phase of construction, ESLC is working with the Land Restoration Program of the Maryland Department of the Environment to remove a few pockets of chlorine- and petroleum-based chemicals. The clean-up could increase the cost of the project. The finding was unexpected because the Department issued a notice of compliance in 2001 stating that an extensive 15-year cleanup process had been completed. Before taking ownership, ESLC had completed a Phase I environmental study that indicated the site was not likely to require further cleanup. Because of the increased costs and the organization’s faith in and commitment to the project, the ESLC Board of Directors voted to increase the project budget to $7.6 million to accommodate clean-up without sacrificing the vision of a nonprofit center for collaborative work. Fundraising continues for the Eastern Shore Conservation Center. ESLC recently signed a grant agreement to receive $500,000 through the Neighborhood Business Works program. Operated by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the program supports revitalization projects that invest in commercial districts and town centers. Additionally, ESLC seeks a café tenant for the Eastern Shore Conservation in Easton. "We are excited to have reached this point," said Executive Director Rob Etgen. "After a lot of work, we are ready to find the key tenant who will bring additional energy to the project. The café will serve as the front door of our project, its public face." The portion of the former McCord Laundry building that once served as the commercial counter

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February 25, 2014

Program Open Space funding

Help protect Program Open Space by telling your legislator to follow the law and add bond funding back into the budget. The future of Maryland’s precious farms, open spaces, and priceless ecological resources depends on you! Find your Maryland State Legislator here:http://1.usa.gov/1h6rWKI Maryland can't afford to lose open space funding – especially now! We’ve already lost $1 billion that was intended for buying land, at a time when land prices are low. Now the state legislature may vote to divert more funding away from protecting the land we need for our future. Maryland taxpayers pay to preserve land for parks, recreation and farmland across the state through Program Open Space, funded by a dedicated portion of the real estate transfer tax. In previous years, when the economy was tough, some DIRECT FUNDING was DIVERTED but replaced with bond funding. In this year's proposed budget, however, the direct funding is being diverted WITHOUT the necessary bond repayment, putting future funding in jeopardy.

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February 24, 2014

Leigh family preserves a piece of Betterton

BETTERTON — Rob Leigh thinks often about his grandmother, Lillie Leigh, and the walks they took together when he was a child. They would walk from the Leigh house along the beach in one direction and return through the woods. “I think about that fairly often — the walks we used to have and the help grandparents can be to their grandchildren,” he said. Lillie Leigh would tell her grandchildren, “You’re worth a waterfront farm.” With that phrase, Rob Leigh said, Lillie Leigh put the conservation bug in the ear of her grandchildren. They put value in that property, but Rob Leigh never dreamed he would own it. Years later, his sister would introduce him to his future wife, Linda, on that beach. In the early 1970s, a developer asked Betterton to annex the farm property adjacent to the Leigh family home. Rob and Linda Leigh opposed the development, which would have included a golf course and about 200 houses. The development never came to fruition, and the farm was auctioned in 1997. Rob and Linda Leigh bought the property with the encouragement of the extended Leigh family, in the hopes of preventing another developer from building something not in line with the Leighs’ vision of Betterton. The Leighs immediately evaluated the property, which has been farmed since the 17th century, Rob Leigh said. They worked with Kent County Soil Conservation and the Department of Natural Resources. They put in five waterways to help control erosion, restored a 1-acre pond, planted about 1,800 trees to help absorb runoff, and planted some warm season grasses. In December, the Leighs placed on the property a conservation easement held by Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Maryland Environmental Trust. “We go up there as a family, and we camp on the farm,” Rob Leigh said. “We do a lot of hiking and fishing,

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February 2014

Food for Thought: Big Box Design

We’re Accredited!

ESLC Prepares to Break Ground on Conservation Center

Program Open Space funding

Leigh family preserves a piece of Betterton

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