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 Protecting Land Forever!
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2022 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants Total $320,000
Maryland Environmental Trust and Forever Maryland are proud to announce that 85 grants totaling $320,000 have been awarded toward environmental education, community cleanup, and beautification projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program.
These annual grants are funded by the Maryland Environmental Trust, Forever Maryland, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and Maryland Department of Transportation.
Keep Maryland Beautiful recipients included schools, nonprofit groups, municipalities and land trusts in 20 counties and Baltimore City. Many of these grants focus on developing and supporting communities, families, youth and students who take personal responsibility for the health of their communities, protecting nature in their backyards and seeking ways to help reduce or resolve environmental challenges.
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 Happy Earth Month!
Looking for something to do during April? Learn more about activities throughout Maryland State Parks.
Check out this year's Park Quest: Parks for Pollinators! Join The Maryland Park Service as they kick off the 15th anniversary of this popular program with a variety of pollinator-themed quests in Maryland State Parks!
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MET Seeks Volunteer Coordinator
The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), a unit of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, is recruiting for an 11-month, full-time (40 hours/week) Volunteer Coordinator in conjunction with Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps.
The Volunteer Maryland AmeriCorps Member, will primarily recruit, manage, coordinate, and train volunteers and will also host and schedule educational seminars for volunteers and landowners on enhanced stewardship of conserved land. Assistance will also be provided to Local Land Trust (LLT) partners for recruitment and joint training of volunteers.
The service year will begin on September 14, 2022 and conclude on August 1, 2023; members must complete 1,700 service hours during the term. For more information or to submit resume email Josette.Markline@maryland.gov.
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Tools of the Trade: Remote Easement Monitoring with Lens
Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) had nearly finished preparations for its spring easement monitoring season. The pandemic put a serious dent in executing MET’s plans for monitoring, which usually involves visiting properties, meeting with the property owners, and observing the landscape and land uses, all to verify adherence to conservation easement requirements.
In response, staff began serious consideration of a technology called “remote monitoring.” The newest approach has resulted from significant improvements in commercial satellite technology and distribution systems, which has allowed resellers to provide affordable access to commercial high resolution satellite imagery via the internet.
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Learn about protected places, explore Maryland spaces, or find something new. Check out MET's partners near you.
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Healthy Forests Healthy Waters
Woods on your land provide you a myriad of benefits. The Healthy Forests Healthy Waters program offers private landowners in Maryland a cost-free opportunity to establish new woodland cover on their property.
This turnkey tree planting program is administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Forestry Foundation with technical support provided by the Maryland Forest Service. Maryland Forest Service staff work with participating landowners to develop personalized tree planting plans that match landowner goals and site conditions. The tree planting is implemented by experienced natural resources service providers. All work will be administered under the guidance and oversight of Maryland Forest Service and Alliance staff.
For more information on the Healthy Forests Healthy Waters program read this brochure or contact Craig Highfield at chighfield@allianceforthebay.org.
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Annual Hike Planned on MET Conserved Land
Walk for the Woods is Scenic Rivers’ annual celebration of families exploring the outdoors, the beautiful, permanently protected Bacon Ridge Natural Area, and the power of land protection to provide quality of life, wildlife habitat, and Chesapeake Bay and river health.
The event, held in late April of each year, is a day of guided hikes, including bird watching, amphibian searches and naturalist hikes, and educational programs. Attendees are also invited to explore the Bacon Ridge Natural Area’s 1000+ acres of woodlands, wetlands, streams, and meadows on their own.
The beloved outdoor community event is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville (rain date is May 1). Access to the event will be via the Farm Road entry. Registration for guided hikes will open on April 8, 2022. The hike schedule and registration link will be announced soon. For more information visit the event page.
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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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