Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is excited to announce new conservation easement funding through the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. The REPI program recently announced its 2025 REPI Challenge awards, which included $3.4 million in funding to the Navy’s REPI program at the Atlantic Test Range and Naval Air Station Patuxent River to support protection of over 1,000 acres of land in northern Dorchester County.

REPI is a Department of Defense (DOD) program aimed at preserving military missions by partnering with governments and private organizations to avoid land use conflicts near military installations and ranges, address environmental restrictions that limit military activities, and increase military installation resilience. Each year, the REPI program runs the REPI Challenge, a competitive program designed to support innovative and large-scale projects that protect critical military testing and training activities.

The funding is earmarked to support a greater partnership under the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape (MCSL). Sentinel Landscapes are designated by the federal government to encourage coordination between DOD, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Interior (DOI). ESLC’s innovative approach, which is the primary crux of the support from REPI Challenge, is to bring together all three of these agencies for the first time within the MCSL for land protection. “This groundbreaking effort showcases the collaborative nature of the Middle ChesapeakeSentinel Landscape,” said MCSL Coordinator Joanna Ogburn, “The processes and templates created through this joint effort will provide a roadmap for others, helping to accelerate conservation in support of military readiness and the region’s working and natural lands.”

ESLC will utilize Chesapeake Watershed Investment for Landscape Defense (WILD) funds from the DOI and USDA farm bill funding for easements to match funding from REPI Challenge to complete this project. Five new easements will collectively protect more than 1,040 acres in northern Dorchester County, conserving prime agricultural land, protecting water quality, and providing wildlife habitat.

To learn more about this project, and others around the country, check out REPI’s website. If you are interested in learning about conservation easement programs and eligibility, please contact Autumn Conley at aconley@eslc.org.