Mission Statement
Conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of the Eastern Shore.
Mission Statement
Conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of the Eastern Shore.
(By Dorian Mitchell of The Kent County News – July 24, 2017) TURNERS CREEK — Volunteers from AmeriCorps are spending their summer in Kent County, working to improve the Sassafras Environmental Education Center and to help youngsters learn about the world of nature. Speaking Monday, member Steven Zimmer of Iowa said AmeriCorps is a government-sponsored organization that sends volunteers ages 18 to 24 to various communities throughout the U.S. to “perform needed services.” “We hail from all corners of the country,” Zimmer, 22, said. “So far I’ve been to Pennsylvania, Mississippi and upstate New York.” He said his group, consisting of six other volunteers and a team leader, were sent to the SEEC by the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy in June. They work eight hours a day, five to six days a week, around the center and the Knocks Folly Visitors Center in Kennedyville. Their tasks include working with children in the center’s summer camps, maintaining the surrounding nature trails, removing invasive plant species, performing water quality tests and more. “It’s been hot work,” said Jacob Northcutt-Walker, 19, of Flint, Mich. “But it’s been a good lifestyle experience to be working with plants and water. He said AmeriCorps volunteers serve for 10 months. They average about $13 every day and also have a living stipend. A graduation ceremony is held at the end of their service and each volunteer receives an educational grant of about $5,000. “You also must be able to learn how to conduct yourself as a person,” Northcutt-Walker said. “No one is going to hand you something you didn’t work for.” SEEC Director and former Congressman Wayne Gilchrest said this is the fourth year AmeriCorps volunteers have worked at the center. He called this year’s volunteers a “great group of young people.” “They’re hardworking, enthusiastic and great with the kids,” Gilchrest said. The AmeriCorps volunteers currently are staying in a house
Sure the weather is getting colder, but that doesn't mean we can't still reap the benefits of traversing our local lands, whether it be on a hike, bike, or whatever it is that gets you outside! We created the following list of trails and open spaces as a handy reminder to get out and take a walk in nature during this holiday season. These places are all located in the Mid and Upper Shore counties where ESLC currently serves. Cecil County - Turkey Point Lighthouse http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/central/elknecklighthouse.aspx Kent County - SEEC @ Turner's Creek Park http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/sassafras.aspx Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge https://www.fws.gov/refuge/eastern_neck/ Queen Anne’s County - Wye Island State Park http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/wyeisland.aspx Tuckahoe State Park http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/tuckahoe.aspx Adkins Arboretum http://www.adkinsarboretum.org/ Caroline County - Lynch Preserve https://www.eslc.org/land-preservation/preserves/ Talbot County - Pickering Creek http://pickeringcreek.audubon.org/ Dorchester County - Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater/ *Note: Keywallace Trail is closed certain dates for deer management, be sure to check dates before hiking and wear boots. We would like to encourage people to share their photos with ESLC via Facebook and Instagram at @eshorelandc
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