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
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ESLC

ESLC and Perdue Celebrate Land Protection Successes on the Shore at Dorchester Farm

   Pictured from left are Dr. Jack Scanlon, recent CREP easement donor, ESLC Land Protection Specialist Jared Parks, ESLC Executive Director Rob Etgen and representatives from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation including Executive Director Bill Hetherington and Dick Willey.Representatives from Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) Perdue came together today to celebrate the protection of more than 1,300 acres of important Eastern Shore farmland during the 2010-2011 season. The celebration took place at the Scanlon Farm in Dorchester County, site of a recently added Conservation Reserve Program (CREP) easement. ESLC is the local sponsor for the CREP program for both Caroline and Dorchester counties. The CREP program is a voluntary one that allows landowners to place permanent easements on their land to reduce the sediments and nutrients from runoff in the Chesapeake Bay and enhance wildlife habitats. This program allows landowners with acres currently enrolled in CREP contracts to place an easement on those acres. The easement is a one-time payment that permanently protects the land from future development. The acres covered by the easement are required to maintain buffer plantings to prevent run-off and protect water quality. In addition to CREP easements, ESLC has a variety of land protection options available to preserve the Eastern Shore’s farms, forests, fisheries and rich rural heritage for the benefit of future generations. The Scanlon farm, owned by Jack and Kathleen Scanlon, is an ideal CREP easement because of its location near the Little Choptank River in Dorchester County. Thanks to a generous $25,000 grant from Perdue, through the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, ESLC was able to work with the Scanlons and numerous other families throughout the Shore to help protect their land forever from development.  "Preserving farmland in perpetuity is the foundation of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s efforts to protect the Shore’s rural character and the

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ESLC Honors Land Steward Volunteers

Pictured from left are Charlotte Staelin, Nancy Neely, Diane Klingelhofer and Jeremy Rothwell A group of ESLC’s volunteer land stewards gathered in recently to celebrate a successful year of monitoring ESLC’s 251 conservation easements. With the help of these dedicated volunteers, ESLC was able to monitor 100% of its properties in 2010. The celebratory potluck dinner provided an opportunity for land steward volunteers to visit and to talk about this year’s monitoring season. All volunteers shared the same sentiment regarding their excitement to get back in the field for the 2011 monitoring season!  ESLC currently has 11 active land stewards. To learn more about this program please click here. ESLC will hold a spring training for new land stewards on April 16th at our office in Queenstown. For more information, contact Dorsey Clarke, ESLC’s Volunteer Maryland Coordinator.

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ESLC launches Center for Towns

   New program aimed at supporting, strengthening small towns  Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), a private, nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated to committed to preserving and sustaining the vibrant communities of the Eastern Shore and the lands and waters that connect them officially launched their new Center for Towns, an unprecedented initiative aimed at strengthening and supporting the small towns of the Eastern Shore. ESLC joined a variety of state and local elected officials and state and local agency representatives to kick off the Center for Towns. The ceremony was held today at a press conference at the Tidewater Inn in Easton. The Center for Towns will continue ESLC’s efforts to be a resource for sound land use planning and community based projects on the Eastern Shore. "Our vision for the Eastern Shore is one with vibrant towns and communities where our children’s children can live and raise their families. The launch of this new Center for Towns will help ESLC get closer to reaching that vision,” said ESLC Executive Director Rob Etgen. “While ESLC will always be committed to land conservation and our farming legacy, we are thrilled to be working with our towns and communities. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.” Using partnerships with other regional organizations, community groups, local officials and regional universities, the Center for Towns will provide education on town design and planning, community design projects and competitions and community-based land conservation projects in and around towns. “Today’s launch and ribbon cutting is a special moment in ESLC’s history and we are honored to share it with so many partners and residents whose commitment to the Eastern Shore is apparent,” said Jake Day, ESLC’s Town Planning Manager. “We hope the launch of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Center for Towns will create new opportunities to

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ESLC Releases Visioning Book for East New Market

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) recently released the published results of East New Market’s place work[s]hop. A collaborative community design initiative founded by ESLC and Urban Dialogues, Inc., place work[s]hop is designed for the specific needs of Eastern Shore small towns. It combines local community knowledge with the design and planning knowledge of local architects, planners, preservationists and policy-makers. The entire community of East New Market created a vision for their community which included drawings, input and ideas about the best strategies for helping East New Market become a vibrant small town again. Their participation in the place work[s]hop process began when a historic property featuring one of the town’s oldest homes – Friendship Hall- came under threat of development. "We were approached by Mayor Caroline Cline and Dorchester County Tourism Director Amanda Fenstermaker to help East New Market determine the best solution to save Friendship Hall," said Jake Day, ESLC’s Town Planning Manager. "We quickly realized these concerns were greater than just one property and place work[s]hop was an ideal way to empower the town and its residents with the tools and expertise to determine the future needs of the community." As a result of this process, the threatened property is close to becoming a public park and the community developed - with the help of the leading organizations and many volunteers - a set of strategies for responding to the town's most pressing challenges. This book tells their story and provides the town with a roadmap for implementing these strategies. It was officially presented to the town at their annual Community Dinner earlier this month and is available for purchase via ESLC’s website. "Ensuring that town leaders and residents are equipped to lead the way on implementing the recommendations independent of us is the most important goal of place work[s]hop and – lucky

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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