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June 2023 | Land Trust eNews
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Maryland Environmental Trust Spotlight |
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 Land Trust Roundtable on June 28
Join Maryland Environmental Trust for our next Land Trust Roundtable on June 28, 2023. This event will feature presentations from DNR's Maryland Forest Service and Chesapeake & Coastal Service.
The Land Trust Roundtable, Conservation and Restoration Resources: Online and On the Ground, will highlight state programs and technical resources that are available to assist with the implementation of enhanced stewardship and restoration projects on protected lands. This in-person event will include an interactive component where attendees can network and visit exhibit tables to learn about the State’s conservation and restoration programs and the educational, support and technical resources that are available.
To learn more about this Land Trust Roundtable visit MET's event page.
This event is free to Maryland land trusts and MET's conservation partners. Lunch will be served by MET. Registration is required. Please RSVP by COB on June 22, 2023.
MET Seeks Easement Stewardship Specialist
The Easement Stewardship Specialist (“ESS”) works closely with the Stewardship Program Manager (“Manager”) and Stewardship Planner to advance the MET’s conservation easement stewardship goals, which include the regular monitoring of MET’s portfolio of more than 1100 conservation easements for compliance, responding to reports and observations of potential issues and violations, as well as responding to inquiries from the public, landowners and real estate professionals.
The ESS assists the Manager and Planner to address stewardship inquiries and issues in a prompt and professional manner. This is a contractual, position specific recruitment for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Environmental Trust. The filing deadline is June 26, 2023.
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 A Home for the Herd: Conservation Easement Protects Unique Agricultural Property
The preservation of natural areas and agricultural land often go hand in hand, or in some cases, hoof in hoof. This year, a treasured agricultural resource in Queen Anne’s County has been protected forever through the work of the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET).
The Aspen Institute, owner of property on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that houses the Wye Angus Program of the University of Maryland, granted MET and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy a conservation easement on more than 586 acres of active farmland, which is the long-time home of renowned Black Angus cattle. MET and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy staff worked closely with the Wye Angus Program and the Aspen Institute on the easement agreement to ensure the educational, research, and agricultural uses of the land will continue benefitting all Marylanders. Read more.
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Managing the Transition From Acquisition To Stewardship
June 28 | Registration Fee
We all know that conservation is not finished when the easement is signed and recorded. No, it is an ongoing partnership between landowner and land trust that works best when it is structured as a holistic process that begins at the first conversation and carries on through annual monitoring and landowner engagement. Filled with stories and lessons learned, this webinar will leave plenty of time for participant questions and discussion. Learn more.
Ask the Alliance Webinar Series
Starts July 6 | Free
The Alliance's signature live talk webinar series kicks off Thursday, July 6 at noon and runs every Thursday through July and August. Check out the presentation schedule and register to learn from Alliance experts about what you can do to enjoy and improve the health of the Bay. Registration is required. Learn more.
The Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework: Using Participatory Science to Manage the Invasive Effectively
Past event | Webcast online
Non-native Phragmites australis, the invasive common reed, has disrupted wetland ecosystems across North America. Although Phragmites established itself in the Great Lakes basin decades ago, there is still a high degree of uncertainty around which management techniques work best. The Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative established the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework, a participatory science program that anyone managing Phragmites can join. Learn more.
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Tools, Tech and Tutorials |
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 New Website and Tree Planting Tracking Tool
In April, the Maryland Department of the Environment launched a new online tree survey, which is a mapping tool designed to help track the state’s progress in its ambitious goal of planting five million native trees by 2031. The website includes eligible tree planting programs, tree care resources, and more information about the Five Million Trees initiative.
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 New Decade Means New Comprehensive Plans
Many jurisdictions coordinate new plans with the arrival of the decennial census. Census data is the foundation for comprehensive planning, providing a snapshot of Maryland communities. To learn more about the ten-year cycle and when your jurisdiction’s review is due, please visit MDP’s Comprehensive Plan 10-Year Review Cycle webpage.
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This annual report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of Chesapeake Bay and its Watershed. Since 2016, UMCES has engaged stakeholders throughout the watershed to transform the report card into an evaluation of the Chesapeake Watershed health.
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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.
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