Talbot Preservation Alliance and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, in partnership with the Maryland Environmental Trust, announced today the recording of a permanent conservation easement that will protect a 53-acre parcel west of Waterside Village, the commercial center that includes Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
This permanent easement will ensure no further commercial development will extend beyond the limit of current construction. The protected 53 acres will constitute the first secured component of the “green belt” surrounding Easton, which is central to the town’s comprehensive plan.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which monitored the area with remote trigger cameras, the property provides natural habitat for an abundant population of Delmarva fox squirrels and forest-dwelling birds, as well as other wildlife. The parcel adjoins substantial additional wooded acreage owned by Talbot County, and the parcels comprise a permanent “green corridor” as advocated in Talbot County’s Comprehensive Plan.
Talbot Preservation Alliance in 2005 secured the right to establish the 53-acre conservation easement through negotiations with REMCO Properties LLC, which owns the land, when the site first was in development.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Maryland Environmental Trust then assisted in finalizing the terms of the deed, and agreed to hold the easement, in order to ensure future continuity in protecting and enforcing all terms of the recorded documents.
“We are delighted to permanently protect this beautiful woodland. Not only is the property important habitat for Delmarva Fox Squirrels, but it also serves as a clear green line between town and countryside as called for in the Easton and Talbot comprehensive plans,” said Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Executive Director Rob Etgen.
“It has been a long process to get from agreement on the concept of an easement to the reality of a recorded document that will protect this crucial property in perpetuity,” said TPA President Tom Alspach. “TPA much appreciates the opportunity to partner with ESLC and MET in ensuring that there will be no further commercial creep beyond the current limits of Waterside Village.”
ESLC, TPA and MET representatives touted the project as an example for future conservation easements that could support the planning objectives of protecting our historic small towns and preserving rural lands in agriculture and open space for future generations.
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