Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) recently celebrated two new conservation easements on the farms of Donald and Susan Harris, and their sons Dustin and Daniel. Officially closed on the week before Veteran’s Day, the conservation easements will forever protect and honor the prime farmland and agricultural heritage once stewarded by Donald  Harris’s father, Lloyd Benson Harris, a World War II veteran who survived D-Day in 1944 and later returned home to take care of the family farm. 

Over the course of many generations, the Harris family has produced sweet corn, peas, lima beans,  tomatoes, dairy, eggs, hogs, and now grain. When asked what led him to put the farms under easement with ESLC, Don Harris immediately recalled his hardworking father, who asked him to  keep the farm forever. “If you get rid of it, it’s gone forever. Don’t you get rid of this ground,”  Lloyd told his son, “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” Lloyd turned down large offers from realtors and developers as far back as 1982, providing Don the opportunity to farm the family’s property for more than 50 years. ESLC’s conservation easement will now continue to keep the farm in production in perpetuity.  

The 137-acre conservation easement at Emerson’s Green Close, the Harris’ Caroline County farm,  protects 124 acres of prime agricultural soils as well as scenic road frontage all within the Tuckahoe  Rural Legacy Area. 1,915 acres of protected land are located within one mile of the farm, with several thousand more in the nearby vicinity including ESLC’s conservation easement at the historic  Daffin House. This contiguous conservation creates a strong corridor of green space and wildlife  habitat surrounding the Tuckahoe.  

Also located within the Tuckahoe Rural Legacy Area, the 45-acre conservation easement on the  Harris’ Talbot County farm protects prime agricultural soils used for grain production as well as  more than 21 acres of woodlands depended upon by increasingly rare forest interior dwelling bird  species. Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program preserves large, contiguous tracts of land to enhance  natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection.  

ESLC would like to thank Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Donald and Susan Harris,  and their sons Dustin and Daniel for their support and contributions to regional conservation on  Maryland’s Eastern Shore. To learn more about conservation easements and Maryland’s Rural  Legacy Program, including whether your property may qualify, please contact ESLC’s Director of  Land Conservation David Satterfield at [email protected].  

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.

After 40 years and $20 billion (and yes, that is a “B” for billions) it is clear that only some of the 2025 Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint goals will be achieved.   A recent independent scientific report, Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay, A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response, known as the CESR Report, is a gold mine of what works, what doesn’t, and options going forward.

A panel discussion hosted by Temple B’nai Israel’s “ENGAGE” Life Long Learning Adult Education Program, in cooperation with ShoreRivers will be presented November 14 at 7:00 PM. Facilitated by Matt Pluta, ShoreRivers’ Choptank Riverkeeper & Director of Riverkeeper Programs, key scientists will discuss the CESR report. They will also present recommendations for what’s next in protecting and improving the Chesapeake and its tributaries beyond 2025. A 7-minute video about the CESR Report will help set the stage for the discussion.

Will climate change influence future Bay plans? Will recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025 affect our access to the Bay? Will any current restoration efforts be dropped? And will new restoration efforts be able to keep pace with more people moving to the Bay and the development and land-use changes that come with it? 

The expert panel is drawn from the Chesapeake Bay Program‘s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) drawn from 20 academic research intuitions. The CBP is a partnership set up by the EPA including the EPA itself, States and local governments in the Bay watershed, non-governmental environmental organizations, and the academic research institutions. The formal goals and agreements of CBP influence and fund the programs of the numerous environmental organizations and programs around the Bay.

The presenters include:

Dr. Larry Sanford – Professor at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) which oversees the evaluation of Bay restoration progress and recommendations for developing a new Chesapeake Bay Agreement beyond 2025.

Dr. Bill Dennison – Professor and Vice President for Science Application at UMCES and Vice Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s STAC. Dr. Dennison oversees the analysis, development and presentation of the annual Chesapeake Bay report Card.

Dr. Tom Fischer – Professor Emeritus at UMCES who spent the majority of his career studying the Choptank River watershed and how land use and human activities influence water quality.

Matt Pluta with ShoreRivers will moderate the panel. For the last decade as the Choptank Riverkeeper Matt has been monitoring water quality trends and engaging with local communities for the purpose of advocating for advanced solutions, partnerships and resources to protect our local rivers on the Eastern Shore. 

Everyone can learn about the future of the BAY and be part of the discussion. 
November 14, 2024, 7:00 PM. 
All are welcome to this free event. 
Registration is required: bnaiisraeleaston.org/event/chesapeake
Temple B’nai Israel,  7199 Tristan Dr., Easton 21601

 In July 2014, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), the Girl Scouts  of the Chesapeake Bay (GSCB) Council, and Maryland DNR worked together to protect 170 acres of the  Camp Grove Point Girl Scout Camp in Cecil County through a permanent conservation easement. In 2022,  the GSCB council made the difficult decision to sell Camp Grove Point. GSCB approached ESLC for help,  wanting to sell to someone who would preserve the entire camp. 

ESLC formally purchased the camp last month and will assist DNR in its restoration of the property to a  more natural state. Ultimately, ESLC will transfer the camp to DNR as an addition to Grove Farm Wildlife  Management Area (WMA). Grove Farm WMA is managed by the Wildlife and Heritage Service, whose  mission is to “conserve and enhance diverse wildlife populations and associated habitats while providing for  public enjoyment of the State’s wildlife resources through hunting and other wildlife-dependent recreation.” 

Once transferred to DNR, ESLC will continue to steward the property’s permanent conservation easement.  “That was so instrumental for us—to be able to share our Camp Grove Point with someone who would take  care of it and preserve the camp as green space in perpetuity,” said GSCB CEO Claudia Peña Porretti.  “That’s why we made this decision to sell to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy because we knew that you all  would love the property just as much as we do. It’s a win-win. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.” 

The annexation of Grove Point to the Grove Farm WMA is yet another preservation success for greater  Grove Neck. Approximately 5,953 acres of the 6,158-acre peninsula are currently protected, including 1,716  acres conserved by ESLC. Camp Grove Point is connected to the larger conservation area by the 242-acre  Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity property purchased by ESLC and subsequently transferred to  the State as an addition to the Grove Farm WMA in 2021. “Thanks to ESLC’s close relationship with the  Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake, we were well poised to assist their leadership in finding a conservation minded solution for the sale of Camp Grove Neck,” commented ESLC’s Director of Land Conservation  David Satterfield. “We are excited to have worked with the Girl Scouts and DNR to ensure that many  generations can enjoy the natural beauty of this spectacular property.” 

ESLC President and CEO Steve Kline added, “Increasing and improving public access is a priority for  Eastern Shore Land Conservancy across our region. Grove Neck is a great opportunity to work with key  partners like Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake to bring  hundreds of additional acres to the public, to enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.” 

Originally called Double Goose Farm, Camp Grove Point was purchased in 1948 and opened to campers the  following year. Since then, the camp has served not only thousands of Girl Scouts, visitors, and volunteers,  but thousands of native flora and fauna throughout its freshwater wetlands, woodlands, and beaches. One hundred-foot vegetative buffer strips on the property protect the water quality of the Sassafras River and the  Chesapeake Bay. Open meadows and 85 acres of upland forest full of sassafras and beech trees provide  habitat for numerous migratory bird species. The camp also protects 2,500 feet of scenic waterfront including  rare sand and clay cliff beaches home to federally endangered Puritan tiger beetles, whose declining  populations exist only along the Connecticut River Valley and the Chesapeake Bay.  

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.

ShoreRivers — thanks to new funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Environmental Education Grant Program — is expanding their work as a certified Maryland Green Center to Dorchester County by partnering with the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Educators (MAEOE) and Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) to build the school district’s capacity to obtain its first Green School certifications.

To be certified as a Maryland Green School, schools must demonstrate and document a continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental management practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development opportunities, and community engagement into their daily operations. The award signifies their commitment to developing stewards of the earth and reducing the school’s environmental impact.

While DCPS does not have any schools that currently hold formal Green School certifications, Dr. Paula Turner-Coleman, DCPS’ Supervisor of Science, Health, P.E., & STEM, and ShoreRivers look forward to having county schools recognized for their work. ShoreRivers is working directly with passionate teachers from three schools to get certified this year: Choptank Elementary, North Dorchester Middle, and South Dorchester School.

“Dorchester County Public Schools already has a strong environmental literacy continuum in place across the elementary and secondary grades. Finally taking that leap to achieve the Maryland Green School status will give our schools the recognition they deserve for the work they are already doing,” said Dr. Turner-Coleman.

As a certified Green Center since 2020, ShoreRivers has supported several K–12 schools across the Eastern Shore, including Matapeake and Easton elementary schools and Queen Anne’s County High School, in elements of the Green Schools certification (or recertification) process. The Maryland Green Schools Program is aligned with environmental literacy and school sustainability goals outlined in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and supports Maryland State Department of Education graduation requirements and standards. This recognition underscores ShoreRivers’ unwavering commitment to protecting and restoring our rivers while educating the next generation of environmental stewards to do the same.

“Being a Green Center allows us to support our school systems regionally, not just the schools we have program partnerships with,” said Suzanne Sullivan, ShoreRivers’ Director of Education. “This program has introduced us to so many amazing teachers and students who are passionate about the environment. We love being a Green Center because we get to combine our education work with our other departments, helping schools with sustainable landscaping, citizen science, and community outreach.”

ShoreRivers encourages schools interested in being certified to reach out to their local Green Center for support.

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ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

shorerivers.org

Solar siting legislation was unsuccessful in advancing during the 2024 General Assembly session, preventing Maryland from crafting a formal solar energy plan for streamlining perceived obstacles and codifying uniform standards. A group of key stakeholders has now worked for months to craft a solar siting proposal for Maryland’s 2025 General Assembly session that would serve as a basis for legislation to come. One of the key components of the group’s new proposal is a 4-mile-wide solar corridor adjacent to high powered transmission lines throughout the state. Counties would be required to process permits for solar development as a “by right” use within the corridor, meaning solar developers would receive faster approvals, reduced costs, and increased predictability but counties would forfeit the ability to exert more oversight of projects. Statewide, this corridor comprises 2,886,526 acres of land. 75% of the lands identified within this proposed solar corridor are located within various state-designated preservation areas. For some regions on the Eastern Shore, that percentage is as high as 96%.

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy was not invited to attend meetings with this group of stakeholders but were kept apprised of proceedings by various members. In response to the group’s proposal, ESLC spearheaded a letter signed by numerous land conservancy advocates across the state to offer feedback in hopes of making key changes prior to introduction this legislative session. The letter emphasizes the importance of upholding public trust, the need for specificity on state-owned lands, and a request for more robust mitigation. 

The current draft proposal attempts to acknowledge Maryland’s conservation goals by mandating a $3,500 per acre mitigation fee for projects sited within a preservation area. However, for true mitigation to occur, site specific impacts need to be more carefully considered. Rather than a flat mitigation fee, the fees assessed should reflect regional variations in land value. The proposed flat mitigation fees are also only applied to projects that occur in designated preservation areas. These preservation areas, identified as the most important in the state for historic, cultural, agricultural or environmental reasons, are worthy of even more robust protection than a flat mitigation fee. Our letter also argues that mitigation fees should be applied to any solar development project (regardless of the land’s preservation status) due to inevitable land use disruption and impacts to agricultural production.

Will Maryland need to develop preserved land in order to meet its renewable energy goals? 727,943 acres of the lands mapped within the working group’s proposed solar corridor are actually located outside of designated preservation areas. And this number well exceeds any existing estimates for how much land will be needed for Maryland to achieve its current solar goals. Identifying and avoiding areas that are key to conservation and preservation can be a useful tool to help guide solar development to the most appropriate places – from both a cultural and environmental perspective. The stakeholders’ current proposed plan to site solar based solely upon transmission line locations and then require a flat mitigation fee for compromising preservation areas does little to disincentivize developers from siting projects on important open space.

In the working group’s proposed corridor map, identified preservation areas include Rural Legacy Areas, Priority Preservation Areas, and Targeted Ecological Areas (TEAs). (While the working group did not include conservation easement acreage in their total sum of affected preservation areas, protection of conservation easements needs to be more explicitly stated.) These areas have received special designation for preservation because of the unique attributes they possess. For example, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources calls Targeted Ecological Areas (TEAs) “lands and watersheds of high ecological value that have been identified as conservation priorities for natural resource protection. These areas represent the most ecologically valuable areas in the state: they are the best of the best. The purpose of TEAs is to protect ecologically important lands, address issues with forest fragmentation, habitat degradation, and water quality, and promote shared responsibility for land conservation.” On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, over 218,000 acres of these precious TEAs fall within the proposed solar corridor.  

Similarly, Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program preserves large, contiguous tracts of land to enhance natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection while supporting a sustainable land base for natural resource-based industries such as forestry and agriculture. Statewide, 431,364.87 acres of Rural Legacy areas fall within the proposed solar corridor—102,321 acres of which are within Eastern Shore Rural Legacy areas. Accelerating solar energy development on designated preservation areas backsteps our communal work towards numerous land conservation goals including the 40% by 2040 goal from the Maryland the Beautiful Act of 2023, the Chesapeake Bay Agreement’s additional two-million-acre land conservation goal by 2025, and President Biden’s executive order to conserve 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030.

While the renewable energy provided by solar developments can positively impact our current climate crisis, the conservation of undeveloped land and its myriad ecosystem services (from carbon sequestration to flood mitigation to water quality protection) is equally essential for achieving our climate goals. Solar installations can disrupt land preservation efforts by impacting ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and agricultural areas if they are not carefully sited. Large-scale solar farms require extensive land, which can lead to habitat destruction, fragmentation of ecosystems, and threats to biodiversity. Additionally, placing solar projects on prime agricultural land can reduce the space available for food production, affecting both local economies and food security. Conversely—blocking all solar development would continue to make our communities reliant upon nonrenewable energy. Exclusively committing to a single endeavor—only solar development or only conservation easements—can prevent essential services. This is not a lesser of two evils. It’s a balance of two goods. Finding the right tension between modes of conservation and sustainable development is key. ESLC is committed to fostering this balance through advocacy and continued close monitoring throughout the legislative session.  

Volunteer SwimTester Dona Sorce collects a water sample at Crouse Park in Denton for ShoreRivers’ 2024 Swimmable ShoreRivers Bacteria Monitoring Program

Each summer, ShoreRivers works to provide the public with information needed to make educated decisions about contact with our rivers and creeks. This year, ShoreRivers monitored bacteria levels at 52 sites around the region — providing a critical public health service for communities and identifying pollution hotspots for future restoration efforts.

A team of community scientists called SwimTesters volunteer their time to test these popular swimming and boating sites weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and generous site sponsors cover a portion of the associated costs. Their samples are then processed, according to standard scientific protocols, in ShoreRivers in-house labs and tested for enterococci — an indicator of fecal bacteria. The program follows the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard protocols for collecting and analyzing samples and makes public the results of that testing to let people know about current bacteria levels as they make their plans for recreating in our waterways. Reports detailing how the sites in each watershed performed throughout the 2024 season can be found at shorerivers.org/technical-documents.

“Over the past four years, ShoreRivers has grown this program from 32 testing sites across our region to more than 50, made our communications bilingual, and installed informational signs in many access locations to connect the public to our data in real time,” says Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards. “We are incredibly proud of this effort, and our growth is a testament to how much our communities value and respond to this critical data. Bacteria levels have a direct impact on how we recreate in these waterways, and it’s up to all of us to find solutions.”

New for this year was the creation of the first ever Bacteria Blitz, where ShoreRivers’ members were invited to collect water samples from their own property or at their favorite swimming area for testing. The goal was to offer the community a chance to see a snapshot of what the bacteria levels looked like off their property while providing our Riverkeepers with insight as to where else high bacteria levels are found outside of the sites that are routinely sampled. Results of the Blitz (conducted on a day when light rain was recorded 24–28 hours prior at most sites) showed that of the 52 samples collected and processed, 34% failed to meet the recreational water quality.

“Our ability to swim in our rivers shouldn’t be taken away because of pollution,” said Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta, who also serves as ShoreRivers’ Director of Riverkeeper Programs. “This program was incredibly valuable in understanding where bacteria issues exist outside of our normal testing sites so we can start to dig into finding and eliminating any potential sources.”

Bacteria typically comes from local sources like failing septic systems and faulty sewer lines, pet and animal waste left along the shoreline or washed in with stormwater runoff, and the use of some organic fertilizers like poultry manure. All participants with the Blitz were provided their own results, plus information on how to connect with their health department, and resources available for addressing issues stemming from septic systems and other known sources of bacteria pollution. Based on the interest in, and success of, this effort, ShoreRivers hopes to offer the Bacteria Blitz again next season.

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ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

shorerivers.org

Local governments on the Eastern Shore are under increasing  pressure to grow through development to meet the rising demands for public services, including  education, housing, infrastructure maintenance, and climate change adaptation. But Eastern Shore  communities already struggle financially to provide basic services with current property tax revenue  levels. This financial strain hampers their ability to build more connected, affordable, and  environmentally sustainable communities, ultimately affecting the quality of life for residents. In response to these challenges, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) invites community  members, stakeholders, and local government officials to attend “Sustainable by Design: Urban3  Land Use Analysis on the Eastern Shore.” Over the past year, ESLC has partnered with Urban3, a  firm specializing in land use analysis, to study land use patterns across eight counties on Maryland’s  Eastern Shore. Urban3’s data and impressive modeling maps reveal the varying value of land use  investments for local governments, both rural and urban. Their analysis uses a “value per acre”  measurement, which contrasts public investment in infrastructure and services with property tax  revenues. 

ESLC will host two informative events on Tuesday, October 22, where attendees can learn more  about the findings and implications of Urban3’s analysis. These events will foster a deeper  understanding of land use value and encourage discussions on sustainable development practices. 

Event Details: 

• The Packing House in Cambridge | Tuesday October 22at 10 AM 
• Chesapeake College in Wye Mills | Tuesday October 22 at 3 PM 
• Registration: https://www.eslc.org/sustainable-by-design-urban3/

We hope you can attend either event to explore how we can support more sustainable and vibrant  communities on the Eastern Shore.  

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.