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

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News

October 21, 2016

Official “Food Fight” conference agenda released

ESLC has released the agenda for its 17th annual Planning Conference to be held on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. The event, “Food Fight! Healthy? Sustainable? Realistic?” is an all-day affair that boasts an impressive list of national and regional speakers. Attendees should expect to be engaged in interactive sessions with the goal of helping to discover what an optimal food system based on Eastern Shore agriculture would look like in the future. Click 17th APC Agenda-final for the speakers, topics, and times. Woodberry Kitchen’s Spike Gjerde, Baltimore’s first winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef (Mid-Atlantic), was recently confirmed as a speaker at the conference. Gjerde’s presentation, entitled “From My Perspective — My Take on Healthy, Local and Sustainable,” will provide an informed view of what a celebrated chef in a major metropolitan restaurant goes through on a daily basis in order to prepare and serve healthy, locally sourced food. -ESLC Staff

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September 22, 2016

Chesterfield still lacks development partner

For the last few months, ESLC has worked to advance community conversation around the eventual development of Chesterfield (Carter Farm), in Centreville, Maryland. We see Chesterfield as a once in a lifetime opportunity for Centreville to redesign its own front porch on the beautiful Corsica River, and we are deeply grateful to the communities and leadership of Centreville for partnering with ESLC to reimagine this gem. We held formal and informal meetings with Centreville residents and town representatives allowing a transparent and public process that established guiding considerations for development. Coupled with community input, we consulted with planning and design industry professionals to generate innovative ideas and refine development parameters. Based on input, we carved out the following design considerations: (1) Access for public open space and recreation, including integration into the town trail system, (2) Preservation of the Carter farmhouse, (3) Agricultural components, including robust community gardens and other scalable uses, (4) Commercial such as a destination inn, market and/or farm to table restaurant, and (5) Housing - a mix of types, sizes and price points. The resulting vision celebrates a mix of commercial, residential, and abundant community uses. Our vision leverages off public access connections, includes the Carter Farmhouse and a new destination farm to table inn as amenities which would further connect communities to the land, and which retains the farm’s agricultural heritage though community gardens. The vision integrates with the trail system around Town, opens access to the Corsica River, and invites Town residents and visitors onto the property as a hub of commercial and community activities with a balance of housing to add to a core of downtown energy. In order for ESLC to further advance the conversation, and refine the use vision, we need to identify a financial or development partner. With our contract having ended at

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August 24, 2016

ESLC’s Carmen Farmer heads west following Rio Olympics

With the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympic games, so ends an inspirational journey for one ESLC staff member. Community Projects Manager Carmen Farmer and the U.S. Women's Rugby Team took 5th place in the sport's Olympic debut - a valiant effort and very respectable finish that included a 12-12 tie with the top-seeded and eventual gold medal winner, Australia. Farmer, with her 6' 1" frame and mere 4 years of rugby experience, left it all on the field alongside her talented teammates. The women of U.S. Rugby will most certainly be back as a team to be reckoned with. Sadly, Carmen will not be back at ESLC headquarters in the coming days following her Olympic journey. The former lawyer and sparkplug behind the Eastern Shore Conservation Center project has accepted a position with Colorado Open Lands, one of the state's largest land conservation organizations. As a conservation project coordinator, her position will resemble that of ESLC Conservation Easement Program Manager Jared Parks, and will cover the entire state of Colorado. While all of us here at ESLC headquarters are of course sad to lose such a talented and dedicated member of our team, we wish Carmen nothing but the best on her new adventure out west. Carmen began with ESLC in 2012 on a part-time basis, having become familiar with ESLC while working in a law firm representing land owners. "I had tremendous respect for ESLC," recalls Carmen. It was only a matter of time before she was hired full-time as the community projects coordinator, working alongside manager Brad Rogers. For the better part of the last year, Carmen has lived in California with the rest of the U.S. women's rugy team, juggling an intense training schedule while contributing about 20 hours a week remotely for ESLC. "I would not have been able to do

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August 4, 2016

Congressman Van Hollen visits Conservation Center

ESLC and partners of the Eastern Shore Conservation Center (ESCC) were happy to recently welcome Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD, 8th District) as he toured areas of particular interest around the Eastern Shore. ESLC's Executive Director Rob Etgen, along with various staff members, provided a tour of the Center and gave insight into some of the key projects we are currently working on. Projects discussed included the "Reimagining of Chesterfield (Carter Farm)" effort in Centreville, the Phillips "Factory F" revitalization effort in Cambridge, and our ongoing coastal resiliency program. Rep. Van Hollen also spoke with ESCC tenants/partners Bishop Joel Johnson of the Oaks of Mamre Library and consultant Kathy Bosin. ESLC and its partners welcome all elected officials and interested groups to tour the Conservation Center. Please contact Facilities Manager Owen Bailey at 410.690.4603 for more information.  

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Recent Posts

  • What is a Mosaic?
  • Q & A: Brad Rogers, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership
  • Sponsorship Spotlight: PRS Guitars
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Carbon Emissions
  • 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

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