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December 2025 | Land Trust eNews
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Maryland Environmental Trust Spotlight |
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Land Trust Easement Monitoring Reports
If your land trust co-holds easements with MET, there is less than one month left to complete your annual monitoring visits for CY2025. The deadline to submit your monitoring reports to MET (for co-held easements) is just around the corner. For more details about annual monitoring requirements please contact Michelle at michelle.grafton@maryland.gov.
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Ann Holmes Jones Recognized as One of Three Champions of the Chesapeake
The Chesapeake Conservancy has named three individuals as the 2025 Champions of the Chesapeake. The organization’s most prestigious award, Champions of the Chesapeake, honors individuals whose accomplishments have significantly advanced the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay’s natural and cultural resources. Ann Holmes Jones is recognized for more than four decades of leadership in land preservation and her strong advocacy for Maryland’s Program Open Space. Read more.
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Urban Tree Program
The MDOT Urban Tree Grant Program is accepting applications for tree planting projects in urban communities impacted by transportation projects. Funding up to $5,000 is available per planting project with additional funds available for pocket forest efforts. Details on the program and application resources can be found here.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis to be considered for the spring planting season applications are due by January 15 and to be considered for the fall planting season applications are due by July 15 of each year. Applications can be submitted on the OneStop portal and can be found here. Complete applications require county Forestry Board signoff. Nick Kurtz (nkurtz@mdot.maryland.gov) Urban Tree Grant Program coordinator, is available for all questions and support needs. Learn more.
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Trees in Peril: The Urgent Race to Save North America’s Iconic Trees Imperiled by Invasive Pests and Pathogens.
In waves across the land, some of North America’s iconic tree species are dying from a myriad of non-native pests and pathogens. Pests such as emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid are capable of—and in some places are—removing entire species of trees from whole regions in a few short decades. The potential loss of these trees can have impacts on wildlife, local economies, regional culture, and our forests’ ability to help fight climate change. Healthy forests that once harbored wildlife and stored large amounts of carbon can transition into thickets of invasive plants in just a few years when pest infestations reach their peaks. Read more.
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Join Audubon’s 126th Annual Christmas Bird Count and Help Protect Birds Across the Hemisphere
December 14 to January 5, 2026
The National Audubon Society invites bird lovers and community scientists across the Western Hemisphere to participate in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. From December 14 to January 5, tens of thousands of volunteers will contribute to the longest-running bird census in the world, providing critical data to inform conservation action. More than 2,800 count circles from Canada to Chile will gather important data to inform conservation strategies and help protect birds in a rapidly changing climate. Learn more.
LTA's Third Annual Stewardship Tea and Talk
February 12, 2026 | Online
Have you been wishing for a conversation with someone working through the same challenges as you? Did you love the stewardship breakfast and roundtables at Rally? Then you should attend the third annual Stewardship Tea and Talk! Join the Land Trust Alliance on Zoom to discuss the most pressing stewardship issues for lasting conservation facing you and your peers. Whether you started in your position two weeks ago or have been stewarding land for decades as a staff, board or a volunteer member, come prepared to ask and answer questions. You will make connections with your peers from across the country, sharing ideas, experiences and support. Learn more.
Maryland’s Sustainable Growth Principle in Practice
Past Webinar | Online Recording
The Maryland Department of Planning was joined by local placemaking partners from the Montgomery County Planning Department and the University of Oregon. Panelists discussed Maryland’s new Sustainable Growth Place Principles, establishing place in comprehensive plans, and implementing place through their work. Emphasizing best practices and research from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, development, and ecology, panelists explored how sustainable urban design can be used to enhance a variety of community places. Learn more.
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Tools, Tech and Tutorials |
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 Maryland Stream ReLeaf: Riparian Forest Buffer Restoration
The DNR Forest Service provides staff support for Maryland Stream ReLeaf, a statewide initiative supporting riparian forest buffers. Stream ReLeaf coordinates the efforts of a wide variety of state, local, federal, and nonprofit agencies and groups, all of whom play a part in expanding or maintaining streamside and shoreline forests.
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 TreeSnap: The Search for “Lingering Trees”
The TreeSnap app was originally developed to help tag American chestnut trees that manage to beat the chestnut blight. The app has since evolved to include the trees that The Nature Conservancy, Forest Service, and other partners are trying to save: American beech, American elm, Eastern hemlock and several species of ash. In total, TreeSnap now gathers data on 16 at-risk species of trees.
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 Conservation Innovation Center Rolls Out New Data Tools
The Chesapeake Conservancy's Conservation Innovation Center produces and shares its latest groundbreaking data, powerful tools, and custom web applications for users to empower their conservation and restoration work. Here's a snapshot of examples that the CIC will roll out in the coming weeks.
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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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