A Year in Review: FY2022

In FY2022, MET staff worked with landowners to protect more than 1,400 acres across 5 counties with 8 new conservation easements. In addition to protecting new lands, MET staff partnered with local land trusts and stewardship volunteers to monitor 837 easements through in-person visits and review of aerial imagery. MET continued to invest in environmental stewards across Maryland through its Keep Maryland Beautiful Program. In FY2022,  KMB grants totaling $320,000 were distributed to 85 awardees in 20 counties and Baltimore City. Read more.

Summer Intern: Aaron Siegle

My name is Aaron Siegle and I have had the opportunity this summer to work again with Maryland Environmental Trust, assisting the easement monitoring team with a plethora of tasks ranging from LENS aerial reviews, to creating aerial maps for volunteer monitoring assignments using ArcGis. This fall, I plan to attend Duke University and major in Environmental Sciences and Policy. In my career, I want to continue working to expand the impacts that land trusts have on our environment, potentially introducing the American land trust model overseas, where vast swaths of wilderness still lie unprotected. 

My time at MET has taught me some important lessons, including the important role that the organization holding a conservation easement plays. It takes a host of actors to protect a natural area. Coordinating with local land trusts, landowners, county governments and other DNR units is integral to achieving a sustainable conservation outcome for our region. Many past MET success stories are a result of partnerships with other organizations who provided critical support to save a threatened landscape. The fate of habitats in the future will depend on coalition building, highlighting the importance of fostering enduring relationships. Finally, having employees who genuinely believe in the mission of the land trust is invaluable. Thank you to MET for giving me this experience and protecting Maryland’s natural areas in such a crucial time.

Who do I contact if I have a Forest Conservation Easement Area on my property?

MET has created a list with County Planning and Zoning and Forest Conservation contacts and their email and phone numbers. For more information about Forest Conservation easements contact your town or county’s planning and zoning ("P&Z") office and ask for the staff member who manages FCA and Critical Area easement areas. Read more.

Annual "Sip & Save" Planned on MET Conserved Land

Join American Chestnut Land Trust on September 18 at their annual Sip & Save event and support their efforts to preserve the Parkers Creek and Governors Run watersheds. ACLT’s annual Sip & Save event offers tastings of beer from local breweries and from around the Chesapeake Bay region. There will be a food truck, live music, yard games, door prizes and more! For more information visit the event website.

The property on Double Oak Road where the event will take place, a portion of which is protected by an MET conservation easement, is part of ACLT’s Parkers Creek Preserve. ACLT maintains 22 miles of free hiking trails at this preserve that are open year-round from dawn to dusk every day. Learn more.