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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

ESLC

February 8, 2013

ESLC wins Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission

ESLC wins Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission Queenstown, Maryland – Februray 8 ,2013 – Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Tuesday was awarded one of Maryland’s first Sustainable Growth Awards at the Governor Calvert House in Annapolis. The award program recognizes the people, projects and programs that model smart growth and sustainability in Maryland. ESLC was honored for its town projects, which aim to give citizens the support they need to develop and implement visions for transforming their communities into vibrant, sustainable and well-defined places. “Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is focused on helping to preserve and sustain the communities of the Eastern Shore,” said ESLC Community Design Manager Sarah Abel. “Our town efforts focus on working with members and leaders of communities to help keep our towns economically and socially vibrant through community design and planning. We cannot thank enough our elected and appointed leaders and members of all the communities who have welcomed us into their towns.” ESLC's town work is focused on ensuring that communities have the tools and assistance they need to realize their visions and helping those communities implement their visions. ESLC's town work weaves together its planning and conservation expertise to serve more deeply a broader spectrum of the needs of Eastern Shore communities. It is based on fostering empowerment and engagement, following the philosophy that the best future plans come from the whole and from within the community. The goal of town work is to promote ecologically sustainable policies and practices on the Eastern Shore in service to the landscape. "The intent of these awards is to help shed light on some of the exemplary work going on in Maryland to focus new growth in existing communities, to preserve sustainable places and to conserve Maryland's rural and natural resource lands," said Growth Commission Chairman Jon M. Laria. "I am thrilled by the quality of

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February 7, 2013

Eastern Shore Conservation Center Deadline Approaches

Eastern Shore Conservation Center Deadline Approaches $2.6 Million Must Be Raised by March 31, 2013 Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is pleased to release schematic drawings of the Eastern Shore Conservation Center. All drawings are courtesy of Atelier 11, the Easton architecture firm working on the project. ESLC hopes to turn the former McCord building and the neighboring office building (damaged by fire in September 2012) into a green campus that brings new vitality to both the neighborhood and the town. Called the Eastern Shore Conservation Center, this facility will create a working home for conservation organizations and businesses.  This hub of activity will spark collaboration and innovation around conservation at a new scale for the Eastern Shore. (Rear view) In order to achieve this dream at the proposed site, ESLC must raise a total of $6.3 million -- $5.5 million for the purchase and renovation of the former McCord building and an additional $800,000 for the renovation of the office building. Toward this goal, ESLC already has raised $3.7 million, leaving $2.6 million to raise before March 31, 2013. In December, ESLC deepened its commitment to bringing an Eastern Shore Conservation Center to Easton by putting $650,000 toward the former McCord building in a process known as dry settlement, after which such a payment is held in escrow. Formal settlement on the building, should ESLC raise the necessary funds, will occur in April. Gov. Martin O’Malley included $1 million in his FY14 capital budget for the project, for which ESLC is required to raise matching funds. The office building at 130 South Washington Street, which was donated to ESLC by Helaine White, in September was damaged by fire. Currently, the building has a temporary roof, and a permanent roof must be installed quickly to avoid further damage to the structure. Estimates for a new roof are about

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February 1, 2013

ESLC Takes Ownership of White Building

Donated to ESLC by Helaine White Eastern Shore Land Conservancy now owns the building at 130 South Washington Street, next to the former McCord building, which ESLC hopes to purchase to create the Eastern Shore Conservation Center. The building at 130 South Washington Street, which was donated to ESLC by Helaine White, was damaged in September in a fire. Currently, the building has a temporary roof, and a permanent roof must be installed quickly to avoid further damage to the structure. Estimates for a new roof are about $35,000. Eastern Shore Land Conservancy in December deepened its commitment to building an Eastern Shore Conservation Center to Easton by putting $650,000 toward the former McCord building in a process known as dry settlement, after which such a payment is held in escrow. This accelerates the need for fundraising for the building, the purchase and renovation of which will cost about $5.5 million. Formal settlement on the building, should ESLC raise the necessary funds, will occur in April. Gov. Martin O’Malley included $1 million in his FY14 capital budget for the project, for which ESLC is required to raise matching funds. ESLC is committed to farm and habitat protection in our rural areas, and revitalization in our towns and communities. As the organization commits to this project, it will look to state and local governments and our communities to help raise the funds needed to develop the Eastern Shore Conservation Center in the long-vacant building and its fire-damaged neighbor building. In the coming year ESLC hopes to transform this vacant Easton warehouse and the office building next door into a charismatic green building that brings new vitality to both the neighborhood and the town. Called the Eastern Shore Conservation Center, this facility will create a working home for conservation organizations and businesses.  This hub of activity will

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January 30, 2013

Call for Submissions for Kids’ Essay and Art Contests

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy has announced a call for entries for the sixth annual Kids’ Essay and Art Contests. The contests are open to all students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight in the six Upper and Mid-Shore Counties including Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester. Essay Contest Rules and Entry Form Art Contest Rules and Entry Form Students entering the contests should demonstrate through writing or visual art where and how they like to play and spend time on the Shore. Essays and artwork might illustrate favorite parks, events or activities, or visions and dreams they have for future parks and open spaces. Art entries are open to students from pre-K through eighth grade. Essay entries are open to students in grades five through eight. Prizes will be given to the first- and second-place posters and essays. Art submissions will be judged in categories of pre-K through second grade, grades three to five, and grades six through eight. Full details, contest rules, and an application form can be found on ESLC’s website at www.eslc.org. Completed essays and posters can be mailed to the Sassafras Environmental Education Center, Kids Essay/Art Contests, 13761 Turners Creek Rd, Kennedyville, MD 21645. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2013.

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January 30, 2013

2013 Deadline for Howard Wood Scholarship Announced

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is accepting applications for the Howard Wood Memorial Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship honoring a founding board member of ESLC – Howard Wood – who was committed to maintaining the Eastern Shore’s rich rural and agricultural legacy. 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 2013 scholarship. The scholarship application is open to high school seniors who intend to pursue careers in agriculture, land use planning, alternative energy planning or other conservation related fields. The opportunity is open to residents of the six counties ESLC serves – Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. Applications are available on ESLC’s website, or may be requested via phone. To apply, applicants should fill out an application, provide a 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 ensure that the Eastern Shore remains a unique, rural gem long into the future? Please include your academic plans, career aspirations and future goals when responding to this question. Scholarship applications are due by March 29, 2013. Applications will be reviewed by family members of Howard Wood. One scholarship recipient will be selected, and the winner will be announced in May 2013. For more information about the scholarship program, contact Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Sassafras Environmental Education Center at jbelanger@eslc.org or (410) 348–5214. About the Howard Wood Memorial Scholarship Howard Wood spent summers at his grandmother’s farm crabbing, sailing and swimming if the jellyfish weren’t too thick. He helped with chores and learned to drive her Model T pick-up. After college and law

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Recent Posts

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  • Big Changes on the Horizon for the CREP Easement Program
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  • 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

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