288 acres of historic Woodlawn Farm in Cecil County, owned by brothers George and Earle Wickersham, is now protected forever thanks to an ESLC conservation easement made possible through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Rural Legacy Program, funded through Program Open Space. The easement permanently conserves 194 acres of farmland, 157 acres of which are designated as prime agricultural soil. The farm’s 92 acres of woodlands will be tended under a forest stewardship plan and will protect valuable wildlife habitat. And 100-foot wide vegetated buffers maintain water quality along almost 2,000 feet of McGill Creek, a tributary of the Sassafras River. Woodlawn’s easement also protects open pasture that is now home to a herd of Holsteins and Lineback cattle.
“The permanent protection of Woodlawn Farm illustrates the impact of Maryland’s Program Open Space,” commented ESLC President & CEO Steve Kline. “This is a win not only for natural resources conservation, but for the Eastern Shore’s economy, culture, history, and agricultural community. Grove Neck’s immense sweep of protected land will support irreplaceable farmland and wildlife species on the Eastern Shore for centuries to come.”
Program Open Space’s Rural Legacy Program is comprised of 35 different priority conservation areas throughout Maryland, four of which are sponsored by ESLC. Statewide, more than 126,000 acres have been conserved through the program within the last 26 years. Conservation easements within ESLC’s Harvest Crescent Rural Legacy Area, including Woodlawn, have helped to createa corridor of conservation stretching from Grove Point toward Cecilton, permanently protecting more than 16,445 acres of land. Conserving large, connected areas like this prevents habitat fragmentation, supports biodiversity, provides travel corridors for wildlife, and can provide the infrastructure for future outdoor recreation initiatives like public trail systems.
Predominantly dairy farmers, the Wickersham Family has stewarded land on the East Coast since the late 1600s. George and Earle Wickersham have conserved several farms in Pennsylvania, and they continued to facilitate Woodlawn Farm’s existing easement-in-process when they purchased Woodlawn Farm in 2021. “If we didn’t take the opportunity, when would we get a chance again?” reflected George. “When you grow up and you’ve worked on a farm all your life, it just becomes a part of you. You see all the other farms that were sold and they’ll never be farmed again. They’re destroyed forever. You got to keep what you have real, if you can. Once it’s developed it’s done. I feel strongly about that.”
Established in 1990, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s mission is to conserve, steward, and advocate for the unique rural landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, forever a special place of diverse and abundant natural resources and thriving rural communities.
0 Responses
This isn’t a victory; it’s a loss for balance, opportunity, and community life. Every new easement disenfranchises future generations and consolidates ownership in fewer hands. That may protect biodiversity, but it does nothing for human diversity or economic vitality.
Conservation groups could achieve their goals through leases or cooperative agreements instead of permanent restrictions that exclude others. Easements have also become financially lucrative, creating a system where some landowners use taxpayer-backed funds to buy more property while reducing what’s left for everyone else.
True stewardship should protect the environment AND the public interest. It’s time to ask whether this neo-feudal model serves our whole community or only a select few.