ESLC Concludes Successful Year in Land Protection
Queenstown, Maryland – December 31, 2007 -Nearly 5,000 acres of the Eastern Shore have been forever protected this year, bringing the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s total protection area to 43,424 acres. ESLC, a private land conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and habitat on the Eastern Shore, announced its land conservation report for 2007 today, highlighting projects in Dorchester, Cecil and Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot County. Recently completed projects, by county, include the following:
Cecil County
Claggett Farm: Located north of Cecilton, this 209 acre protected area, which is located in the Chesapeake Critical Area, provides lots of frontage on Scotchman’s Creek and contributes to the growing mass of protected land in the lower part of Cecil County.
Dorchester County
Good Luck Farm -Located on the Little Blackwater River, protection of this 1,435 acres of agricultural land will help ensure that the agricultural heritage of this region is maintained for future generations of farming families. The first phase of this project was completed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the second phase is slated to include State and Federal funding, anticipated in 2008. Hale: The Hale family’s protection of their 213 acres in Dorchester County with Chicamacomico River frontage offers superb wildlife habitat preservation and scenic views along both sides of Griffith Neck Road and the Chicamacomico River.
Lighthizer – This conservation easement in Eldorado will protect 74 acres near the important Marshyhope Rural Legacy Area. The easement will protect an historic viewshed for the circa 1783-1790 residence “Rehoboth” and the farm borders a Natural Heritage Area designated as such for the presence of numerous rare, threatened and endangered species, including several Bald Eagle nests and two rare plant species and two threatened plant species.
Kent County
Bramble: The Bramble family has forever protected 324 acres north of Rock Hall, adjacent to a critical mass of already protected land owned by Chesapeake Farms. This conservation easement ensures that this productive agricultural tillable land with some areas of woodland remain protected. Crow: A 110 acres swath of farmland in Kent County’s Chester River watershed will remain open space forever thanks to Roy Crow’s conservation easement donation. The farm, which is located between Galena and Kennedyville offers a number of conservation benefits including water quality protection and scenic public views.
Kentfields Farm: The Dinning Family has forever protected their Kent County farm. Located in Chestertown on Jarrett’s Creek, this 65 acres of Kent County’s Critical Area, owned by CDF, LLC and DFLP, LLC will be preserved with the finalization of this conservation easement. In addition to 35 acres of cropland 23 acres of woodland are also protected with this easement. Shriley: Located on 35 acres of the Chester River Corridor, the protection of Deer Run Farm, adjacent to Chesapeake Farms, adds to the important block of protected land in Kent County.
Queen Anne’s County
Ashley: A spectacular buffer of protected land now surrounds Tuckahoe State Park, thanks to the donation of 400 acres of land by Jack and Philip Ashley. This property, known as Airendale Farm, helps create a greenbelt for Ruthsburg and protects CREP lands and a wooded floodplain. Sallet : Located along the Chesapeake County National Scenic Byway, this 85 acre parcel, known as Boxer’s Rest, ensures that over 1,500 linear feet of frontage along the byway is forever protected. Its preservation provides a number of other important conservation benefits including wildlife habitat and water quality protection.
Stagwell: Located within the Bay Bridge Gateway Conservation Priority Area, this donated easement will protect 40 acres along Carmichael and Stagwell Roads and protect important wildlife habitat and productive woodland soils. It also extends the 232 acre conservation easement created on the waterfront portion of the property in 2000.
Washington Brick & Terra Cotta Company: Queenstown Harbor Golf Links has protected 196 acres in the Bay Bridge Gateway Conservation Priority Area with a donated easement in Queenstown. In addition to forest and important Delmarva Fox Squirrel habitat protection, this property, which is owned by the Washington Brick and Terra Cotta Company, by adds 196 acres to the Queenstown greenbelt.
Waterman: A beautiful 42-acre wooded property in Queen Anne’s County is maintained as forest forever thanks to a donated conservation easement by the Waterman family. Located in the Bay Bridge Gateway Conservation Priority Area and adjacent to the Bennett Point preserve that is jointly owned by ESLC and Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, this property also features a perennial stream throughout the entire property.
Talbot
Kenzie: The Kenzie family has extended their conservation easement with an additional 78 acres of protected land along Oxford Road. This wooded property creates an even larger greenbelt of protected land in Easton and provides water quality protection and provides habitat for the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel and Forest Interior Dwelling Bird Species.
N&E Investments: The first phase of a long-term effort to protect over 600 acres in Talbot County is now complete with the protection of 65 acres in the Miles River Corridor. The protection of this property links up to a larger important area of nearly 4,000 protected acres and will provide preservation of habitat and Natural Heritage/Endangered Species Protection.
The completion of these land protection projects brings ESLC’s total for the year to 4,689 acres of protected land.
“These individuals and families have given an incredible gift of open space to the Eastern Shore community for future generations to enjoy,” said Meredith Lathbury, ESLC’s Director of Land Conservation. “This year might be the most successful year we’ve seen in land conservation for Maryland and it is largely due to the work of Maryland Environmental Trust. MET is an absolutely critical partner -without MET there is no way this much land would have been protected in Maryland this year.”