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 Protecting Land Forever!
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Maryland Land Trusts to Pilot New Technology for Conservation Monitoring
The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and Lower Shore Land Trust, Inc. (LSLT) were jointly awarded a grant from the Land Trust Alliance and The Nature Conservancy-California to pilot state-of-the-art technology for monitoring land conservation easements.
“This grant supports the critical efforts of our land trust partners to provide ongoing stewardship to Maryland’s conserved land,” MET Director John Turgeon said. “We are excited to partner with LSLT on this innovative project to explore the potential benefits of remote monitoring technology.”
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 MET Welcomes New Stewardship Planner, Josette!
Josette W. Markline has a breadth of experience in the environmental realm from most recently working as a Compliance Associate for the Maryland Environmental Service, conducting environmental audits, to volunteering with the U.S. Peace Corps for an ecotourism group in the Dominican Republic. She also previously worked for DNR as a Park Ranger in the Maryland Park Service at Patapsco Valley and Seneca Creek State Parks.
Josette received a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in environmental management from University of Maryland Global Campus. She is compassionate about conservation of green spaces and dreams of a Maryland that one day has one contiguous green corridor. She is excited to begin meeting landowners and local land trusts and looks forward to developing strong relationships for the continued success of the Stewardship Program and MET’s overall mission.
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Preservation of Agricultural Land Goal
Last month, Governor Hogan approved legislation (House Bill 860/ Senate Bill 692) that extends the deadline from 2022 to 2030 to achieve the State's goal, established by the General Assembly in 2002, of protecting 1,030,000 acres of productive agricultural land in Maryland. In addition to farmland protected by easements through the other state and local government agricultural preservation programs, the legislation now counts all the land protected by MET’s conservation easements (close to 140,000 acres) toward meeting the State’s goal.
Nearly all MET easements permit agricultural uses, including equestrian and forestry uses. MET estimates that most land protected by our easements is in some form of active agricultural use. Learn more about Maryland's protected lands, visit MET's Map of Protected Acres or the Maryland Protected Lands Dashboard.
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Learn about protected places; explore Maryland spaces; or find something new. Check out MET's land trust partners near you.
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Conservation Garden Design Workshop
June 12, 2021
Learn how to create the perfect Bay-friendly landscape for your property under the guidance of a professional landscape architect. If you are interested in designing and constructing a Rain Garden, Bayscape or Edible Bayscape, this FREE workshop is for you. In this hands-on learning experience you will learn the principles of design and how to apply them to solving your storm water problems.
Topics include: analyzing your storm water issues, determining location and size, soils issues, preparing the site, selecting and installing native plants, and maintenance requirements. GVC will tour a demonstration garden on site. Learn more.
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Pollinator Garden Tour
June 25 - 26, 2021
The Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT) will hold their first-ever Garden Tour. The tour will be self-guided and cover 10 Pollinator-Friendly gardens across Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. Visit beautiful gardens landscaped with native plants and gain inspiration for your own gardening projects.
This inaugural event will support efforts to increase pollinator habitat, promote the use of native landscaping and raise awareness for the benefits of pollinators through the LSLT Pollinator Certification Program. Learn more.
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Kayak Poker Run
July 24, 2021
Save the Date! Harford Land Trust and the Ben Boniface Deer Creek Valley Fund are happy to announce the return of the Kayak Poker Run on Saturday, July 24 at Flying Point Park on the Bush River. Stay tuned for additional details and registration information. Learn more.
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Invasive Species Control Program Workdays
Thursdays from now until August 26, 2021
Scenic Rivers Land Trust (SRLT) is excited to announce the launch of our new Invasive Species Control Program at Bacon Ridge Natural Area. SRLT and the MET co-hold a conservation easement on 630 acres of Bacon Ridge Natural Area. SRLT is excited to have received grant funding from the Chaney Enterprises Foundation and the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County to assist Anne Arundel County in maintaining the rich biodiversity of Bacon Ridge Natural Area.
SRLT staff will be gathering for weekly workdays with small groups of volunteers to remove invasive plant species along the trails of Bacon Ridge Natural Area. The work will continue each Thursday, ending in late August/early September. Learn more.
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SUPPORT the long term stewardship of more than 1,100 conservation easements held by Maryland Environmental Trust with a tax deductible contribution to the MET's Stewardship Fund.
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