ESLC protects 116 acres of wildlife habitat in Kent County

 

Tavern Creek Farm in Kent County has now been conserved by Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and the Durocher family thanks to a 116-acre permanent easement funded through the USDA and the State of Maryland’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement Program (CREP). Originally purchased as a hunting property, Louise and John Durocher stopped growing crops on the farm roughly 20 years ago, and began converting fields to native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, and thousands of trees including river birch, tulip poplars, sycamores, white oaks, loblolly pines, black walnuts, and pawpaws. “The first year we planted wildflowers, the coreopsis covered about five acres in gold,” reflected Louise. “I have had a long association with the Chesapeake… I always hoped to conserve the property to help protect the Bay.”

 

For over a decade, more than 31 acres of land, including practically all the shoreline of Tavern Creek Farm, have been enrolled in Farm Bill conservation practices. Open meadows containing a mix of warm and cool season grasses are connected to forest by long hedgerows, each habitat working in tandem to provide shelter and forage for the farm’s many beavers, otters, opossums, muskrat, and numerous resident and migratory birds. “We could not be prouder to protect and steward Tavern Creek Farm’s diverse natural habitats,” commented ESLC President and CEO Steve Kline. “The property’s unique ecosystems provide infinite conservation benefits to the entire community, from woodlands that protect the water quality of Tavern Creek and the Chesapeake Bay, to 26 acres of wetlands that offer stormwater retention and nutrient cycling.”

 

The farm’s 24 acres of woodland stretch along the entirety of the property, and (along with the tree plantings and more than 18 acres of conservation cover) provide habitat for wildlife and contribute to water quality benefits to Tavern Creek and on-site farm ponds. The easement also protects 6,560 linear feet of road frontage on Swan Creek Road and 9,175 linear feet of water frontage on Tavern Creek, providing scenic views of its diverse natural landscape to motorists and boaters alike.

 

The farm is now stewarded by Louise and John Durocher’s granddaughter Sarah Starman. “Seeing the farm become more beautiful and biodiverse because of my grandparents’ work and our work is very rewarding,” commented Starman. “Knowing that our farm will always be protected by ESLC provides security and stability. I feel even more motivated now to take good care of the farm and lay a strong foundation of conservation that future generations can build on. I hope that in a hundred years whoever is living here will enjoy it in some of the same ways we do: kayaking and fishing in Tavern Creek; watching the ospreys on the osprey stand; picking blueberries in the spring and figs in the summer; having barbecues in front of the house; and taking care of the woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands so that they’re good wildlife habitat. It’s a very peaceful place, and I hope it stays that way.”