Land Trust eNews: January 2022

Maryland Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 01/19/2022 06:57 PM EST

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Monthly News & Updates

January 2022 | Land Trust eNews

Maryland Environmental Trust Spotlight

Save the Date: February 15

MET's next Land Trust Roundtable, Remote Monitoring, will be a virtual event on Tues., February 15. This Roundtable will feature the use of state-of-the-art technology for monitoring land conservation easements for use during COVID and beyond. Panelists, including representatives from Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Lower Shore Land Trust and Maryland Environmental Trust will share their successes and challenges using new technology. Panelists will discuss their use of drones as well as Lens (which uses high-definition aerial and satellite imagery) to complete site evaluations instead of traditional “boots-on-the-ground” monitoring visits. Registration and more details will be available soon on MET's event page.

MET Welcomes New Easement Planner, Michael!

Michael Mingus comes to MET after working as a Wildlife Biologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. He also spent time working with the stream restoration firm, Environmental Quality Resources, and with the Maryland Conservation Corps at Tuckahoe State Park.

Michael received a bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Dayton. He enjoys cycling, woodworking, hiking, and spending time with his family. He is very excited to to begin meeting landowners and with local land trusts and looks forward to developing strong relationships for the continued success of MET’s land conservation mission.

Land Trust Monitoring Reports

Submit your CY2021 co-held easement monitoring reports to Maryland Environmental Trust for CY2021 no later than January 31, 2022. For more details contact Michelle Grafton at michelle.grafton@maryland.gov.

Land Trusts in Action

Cornell Grant Partners Two Maryland Land Trusts

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will be collaborating with Lower Shore Land Trust on an initiative through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Cornell Lab)’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program. The $5,000 award will be utilized to develop a six part bird conservation series to be held from January to August of 2022 that will highlight various bird conservation and restoration practices across the Delmarva Peninsula; the series will also promote opportunities for engaging new and existing volunteers in meaningful stewardship of conservation lands through the lens of bird conservation. Read more.

UER's Second Nature Play Project is Kicking Off!

UER is pleased to announce that the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the City of Gaithersburg have awarded UER much-needed funding to design and construct the Lakelands Short Street Preserve and Nature Play Space: a nature play and stormwater management area in an underutilized section of the Lakelands Community in Gaithersburg. When finished, it will not only manage large inflows of stormwater and regenerate native forest and understory habitat, but it will also host numerous opportunities for creative, active, and educational play for local children. This project will show local residents how to combine active, healthy play with ecosystem restoration in yards and common areas around the local area. Read more.

Closing 2021 by Closing on Two New Easements

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is excited to announce two conservation easement closings from the end of 2021. The Green Point Farms, LLC easement, completed in conjunction with the U.S. Army’s Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program, protects 162 acres of productive agricultural land. Additionally, by protecting their farm, the grantors have preserved scenic view shed for all to enjoy for generations to come along Flatlands Road in Kent County. ESLC is looking forward to continuing to work with Green Point Farms on protecting other holdings in the region in the coming years. Read more.

Learn and Explore

Policy Past and Present: Impacts on the Current Environment

January 20, 2022 | Free

The third installment of the Maryland Forestry Foundation's Webinar Series: "Framing the Future" will take place on January 20, 2022. January's Forest Policy Third Thursday will explore the impacts of past & present policy on the current environment with feature panelists Dexter Locke and Sacoby Wilson. Learn more.

Chesapeake Bay Webinar Series

Starts January 20, 2022 | Free

The Mid-Atlantic Planning Collaboration is launching a series of webinars dedicated to one of the region's most important resources, the Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland Department of Planning and Maryland Planning Commissioners Association invite you to join the webinar series and learn more about how Mid-Atlantic planners and community leaders are striving to preserve the Chesapeake Bay. Learn more.

Building Better Boards Workshop Series

Starts January 24, 2022 | Free

Forever Maryland is excited to announce a new leadership training program to help local land trusts in Maryland (and a few land trusts in Delaware) build stronger boards of directors and expand the strengths, capacity, and diversity of board candidates and local land trusts. Building Better Boards for Local Land Trusts: Training and Toolkit program provides a pathway for any local leader interested in conservation to learn about best practices for board governance, fee and easement transactions, the roles of monitoring and stewardship,
and the importance of financial oversight. Learn more.

Millions of Trees Coming to Maryland: Who, How, and the Expected Challenges

January 26, 2022 | Registration Fee

Trees provide habitat, shade, soil stability, community beautification, and so much more. Join Greg Burks, Joanna Ogburn, and Justin Bowers to learn more about the 2021 Tree Solutions Act and how Maryland will be planting 5 million trees in the near future. Learn more.

Maryland Farmers: Partners in Conservation

Online | Free

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has launched a new video series that spotlights Maryland farmers who are making a difference for our state’s natural resources and the Chesapeake Bay. ‘Maryland Farmers: Partners in Conservation’ showcases local farmers and the conservation projects they have installed to manage manure, safeguard local streams, build healthy soils, and protect the natural resources that we all depend on. You can watch the series on the MDA website or visit the department’s YouTube channel.

2022 Maryland Land Conservation Conference

June 1-2, 2022 | Registration Fee

Forever Maryland invites you to attend the 2022 Maryland Land Conservation Conference, Celebrating Success. Planning for Change. This two-day, in-person, conference will examine the current state of Chesapeake Bay restoration, smart growth, and conservation successes, while discussing how to plan for climate change, fiscal uncertainty, and emerging environmental challenges. This event will include multiple education tracks, facilitated discussions, demonstrations, networking opportunities, and nearly 50 local, regional and national speakers. Learn more.

Tools, Tech and Tutorials

From Complete Streets to Complete Networks: Multimodal Planning Tool

Entire networks of continuous and connected facilities involves conducting a larger review of networks for each mode. Join the Maryland Department of Planning and Smart Growth Network for a free webinar on February 3 as planners from the Michigan Department of Transportation and Southeast Michigan Council of Governments share a set of tools they have built to evolve the state of the practice for complete streets planning and design.

Learn more.

Maryland Park Equity Tool

The Maryland park equity tool was developed in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Public Health. In addition to the park equity score, the MD EJ Screen data and more information are available on this tool. This “Park Equity Analysis” provides a quantitative statewide analysis identifying locations across the State with barriers to accessing public lands for a variety of factors. This analysis is a guide to better understand the needs of communities and begin a discussion on location, amenities and park planning.

Learn more.

5 Lessons on Data Science, Storytelling and Place

The Delaware Data Innovation Lab (DDIL) team of data scientists is on the heels a couple of major New Castle County CARES Act-funded project deadlines and are heading into 2022 with new and continuing community-focused work. When it comes to that data and storytelling question, the DDIL crew noted that one helps us understand the other through a more human lens. Sunami, DDIL’s most recently added fellow, said a narrative is important, if not imperative, to data science.

Learn more.

Environmental News

DNR Secretary's Message: January 2022

The 25th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count Starts February 18

Dorchester County to Hold Harriet Tubman 200th Birthday Events

Ahead on State Agendas: Climate, Environmental Justice, Chesapeake Cleanup Funds

Ghosts Forests and Rising Seas: A Threatened Chesapeake

Not a Mallard: Lookalike Duck Species Spotted in Maryland for the First Time

Ghost Forests Could Provide Respite for Marsh Birds as Coastal Habitat Disappears

Learn More

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Share Your News

If you would like to share relevant conservation news, success stories, announcements or events with Maryland's land trusts and conservation partners through this publication, please contact Michelle Grafton by the first of each month at michelle.grafton@maryland.gov.

MARYLAND ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST | dnr.maryland.gov/met