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Remembering Greg Bowen
Greg Bowen, a dedicated and passionate advocate for land conservation, died February 25, 2025. Greg had been serving on Maryland Environmental Trust's Board of Trustees since 2019, and was vice chair of the Board since 2022. His dedication and commitment to conserving land in Southern Maryland spans more than four decades. In 2021, he received the Maryland Sustainable Growth Award in the Leadership Category from the Maryland Department of Planning. Greg embraced various roles throughout his celebrated and impactful career serving as the Calvert County Planning and Zoning Director, Executive Director of American Chestnut Land Trust, mentor, land steward, and friend. Greg will be incredibly missed. Read more about Greg's life and legacy.
2025 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grant Recipients Announced
Maryland Environmental Trust is proud to announce the 2025 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grant recipients. This year 20 Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants grants totaling $238,751 were awarded for environmental education, community cleanup, tree planting, and beautification projects. Keep Maryland Beautiful recipients included schools, nonprofit groups, municipalities and land trusts in nine counties and Baltimore City.
Presented annually since 1986, the grant program is managed by the Maryland Environmental Trust and administered on the department’s behalf by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The grants are funded by the Maryland Environmental Trust, Maryland Department of Transportation, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Learn more about this year's recipients.
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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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Annual Hike Planned on MET Conserved Land
Walk for the Woods is Scenic Rivers Land Trust’s signature community event celebrating the joy of the outdoors and the protected Bacon Ridge Natural Area. This year's event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville (rain date is April 27).
Scenic Rivers will again partner with Anne Arundel County’s Department of Recreation and Parks to offer a wonderful opportunity to hike and explore this beautiful wilderness just minutes from downtown Annapolis. The annual event is a day of guided hikes, self-led hikes, and educational programs. For more information about guided hikes and activities or to registration visit the event page.
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Maryland’s Parks and Public Lands Welcome the Warmth with New Picnic Areas and Boat Launches, Upgraded Paths, and Adaptive Mountain Bike Trails
The Maryland Park Service and partners improved five miles of trail inside Patapsco Valley State Park’s McKeldin Area this winter with adaptive mountain bikers in mind. It is the first network of adaptive mountain bike trails in Maryland, an amenity state officials plan to improve and expand moving forward.
Thanks to the efforts of Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park, the Poplar Trail, Plantation Trail and Switchback Trail were widened, outslopes were smoothed to less than 8% to prevent bikes from tipping, and paths were altered slightly to ensure that water drains across and not down the slopes. Bikers, hikers and horseback riders must yield to people using adaptive equipment on the trails. Read more.
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Native Plant Profile: Serviceberry
When spring approaches, one of the first vivid colors to pierce our sleepy winter eyes is often the stark magenta of Eastern Redbud. One may be forgiven, then, in overlooking the explosion of white blooms that appear at the same time, though they signal the awakening of a similarly important species: the versatile serviceberry!
Most species of serviceberry begin to gain foliage early in the season, with historic accounts mostly indicating April to be reliable and late March at the earliest, roughly at the same time as redbud trees. The flowers of serviceberry may look familiar; as they are members of Rosaceae, serviceberry trees and bushes have blooms that resemble apples, pears, or even cherries. Read 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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