Fall/Winter 2010

Land Marks
Special Event Held for Retiring Chairman
ET has beneted from having a talented and dedicated board of trusteescitizens who have donated their time, nancial support and expertise to MET and have helped to create a strong state wide land trust with a solid record of success. One of those trustees is King Burnett, who recently stepped down as METs leader and chairman. King, a resident of Wicomico County, has served on the board of MET since 1971 and has twice served as chairman. His current term ended on May 31, 2010. rough his leadership, MET has King Burnett and DNR Deputy Secretary, Joe Gill become one of the largest land trusts in the nation in terms of the number of easements it holds. Kings research and direction resulted in MET establishing its conservation easement program in 1972, at a time when land conservation was in its infancy. Over the last 38 years, King has been involved with reviewing and approving every easement that MET has acceptedmore than 1,010 easements. King devoted hundreds of hours each year to METs activities, particularly during his ve years as chairman, including providing sta oversight and participating in METs program development. King has literally made hundreds of trips to Annapolis and Baltimore to attend meetings, meet with legislators and prospective donors, and make speeches and presentations. at is dedication!

On the beautiful summer evening of June 14th, the MET Board of Trustees, together with sta and guests, gathered in the wine cellar of the Boordy Vineyard to recognize and honor the retiring chairman for his leadership and long term commitment to MET. More than 40 guests enjoyed local wine and a special dinner. Newly-elected chair Jim OConnell remarked on Kings life long dedication to land conservation and to MET. Special guest speakers included David Miller, past MET director (1976-83) who served under Kings rst tenure as chair; Joe Gill, deputy secretary of DNR, who presented a Governors Citation to King; and Senator Roy Dyson, who presented both a Senate and House Resolution and a Resolution from the Comptroller. Kings commitment to land conservation and the environment is also demonstrated by his involvement in other organizations. He also serves on the Lower Shore Land Trust board of directors and is one of the founders and a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology. King also has donated easements limiting development on his 80-acre farm. Although retiring as chairman, King will continue to serve as a trustee and looks forward to remaining active with MET activities. Special thanks to the Deford family for the use of the Boordy wine cellar for this special occasion. Established in 1945, Boordy is Marylands oldest family-run winery. It is owned by the R.B. Deford family and is situated on their 230-acre farm located on Long Green Pike in the Baltimore countryside. is property is protected in perpetuity by an MET conservation easement.

Boordy Vineyards

Directors Note
BOARD OF TRUSTEES James R. OConnell Chair James W. Constable Vice Chair Honorable S. Jay Plager Treasurer Ann H. Jones Secretary Doris Blazek-White Donald N. Briggs K. King Burnett Susan Duke Hance-Wells William B. Icenhower, MD Constance Lieder James B. Morris Steven Quarles AREA REPRESENTATIVES Goodloe E. (Geb) Byron, Jr. Frederick County V. David Grayson Carroll County Philip R. Hager Allegany County Charlotte Staelin, Ph.D Kent County EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Senator Roy Dyson Delegate Dana Stein Meredith Lathbury, Director, Land Acquisition and Planning, Department of Natural Resources (Governors Representative) TRUSTEES EMERITUS Ajax Eastman John C. Murphy Ellen Kelly Dr. Henry A. Virts STAFF Elizabeth Buxton Director Adam Block Central Region Planner/ Legislative Liaison Jon Chapman Stewardship Program Manager Ann Gutierrez Carlson Eastern Region Planner Lisa Holmes Administrative Assistant Rebekah Howey Land Trust Assistance Coordinator/ Keep Maryland Beautiful Coordinator John Hutson Easement Program Manager/ Southern Region Planner Michelle Johnson Volunteer Program Coordinator Joan R. Lally Monitoring and Stewardship Specialist Carole Simon Monitoring Specialist Megan Sines Western Region Planner

by Elizabeth Buxton, MET Director

ith the nations economic outcome remaining uncertain and with budget cuts and job losses, no one is feeling condent about the future of land conservation. However, there is still reason to be optimistic. e Obama Administrations recent commitment to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay (Treasured Landscapes and the Great American Outdoors initiatives) has renewed an interest nationwide in protecting important cultural and natural landscapes, specically the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Attitudes about the environment also seem to be changing with some polls showing that 80% of Americans think of themselves as environmentalists. With the Federal tax incentives hopefully becoming permanent soon, the possibility of federal funding for land protection, and with all the creative energy at the local, state and federal level, I believe we can accomplish the land conservation goals and initiatives spelled out in the Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (See http://executiveorder. chesapeakebay.net/ for information concerning the goals and actions for the region). e outpouring of support for MET from citizens and local land trusts last spring when MET was faced with the possibility of being eliminated shows that many people understand the unique role that MET plays in permanently protecting open space, forests and farmland. As many of you know, legislative auditors had MET in their sights during the last General Assembly. ey were taking a very hard look at the DNR state budget and we had to work hard to defend our program. is exercise helped to educate the lawmakers about the signicance and cost eectiveness of MET and made us a stronger organization. It also made MET think seriously about the need to increase our fundraising eorts to ensure future nancial support for MET and to help expand our programs. In addition to cuts in state funding, METs highly-leveraged Land Trust Grant Fund, a revolving fund to help land trusts purchase important land, was taken by the General Assembly as part of the Budget Reconciliation Act. MET also saw a reduction of sta resources at a time when METs responsibilities (including stewardship) have signicantly increased. e time has come to diversify METs sources of fundingand thats where we could use your support. MET is embarking on an ambitious campaign to double our Stewardship Fund to $120,000 this year. e Fund directly supports METs ongoing stewardship costs, including stang, transportation, data management, and communications, as well as imaging and mapping technologies. I ask that you please consider a tax-deductible contribution to METs Stewardship Fund this season. With your support, MET can ensure the permanent protection of our conservation easementsmore than 1000 and counting! We thank you for helping us to preserve and protect Marylands irreplaceable vistas and natural resources. We continue to emphasize the importance of private land conservation there is simply not enough money to buy all the land that needs to be protected. In the long run, donated conservation easements must complement the States eorts to purchase land or easements, and MET can provide landowners with the tools they need to protect their land in perpetuity, in other words, forever.

View of I-95/Tydings Memorial Bridge from Mt. Ararat Farm

MET Partners to Protect Eastern Shore Properties

his summer MET worked with federal, state, and local partners to acquire three conservation easements on 601 acres in Queen Annes and Cecil Counties. e scenic rural and agricultural character of these lands will be forever protected by these easements. Browns Branch Farm is a 218-acre farm located in Church Hill in Queen Annes County. e farm boasts a half mile of scenic frontage along the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway and nearly two miles of scenic frontage along Browns Branch, a tributary of the Chester River. Travelers along this section of the Byway will forever enjoy views of the farms rolling elds and forests. In addition, habitat found along Browns Branch is now protected by the easement. e conservation easement was purchased on Browns Branch Farm using Federal transportation funds earmarked for the protection of scenic views along the Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway. Former Congressman Wayne Gilchrest was instrumental in getting these funds earmarked for the Byway. MET, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), Cecil, Kent and Queen Annes Counties along with the State Highway Administration have been working cooperatively to protect key properties along the Byway.

successful land conservation must be tailored to the unique factors in each community and use a variety of land conservation tools and resources.
MET is pleased to work with Queen Annes County, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the ESLC, to help these landowners protect their farms. said Elizabeth Buxton, MET Director. Successful land conservation must be tailored to the unique factors in each community and use a variety of land conservation tools and resources. e second property protected in Queen Annes County was Home Farm, 267 acres just outside Kingstown. Of the propertys 276 acres, 238 acres are classied as prime farmland soils. e easement will ensure there rich soils will always be available for farming. Home Farm is adjacent to a 3,866-acre block of protected farmland and is an integral part of the predominantly agricultural setting of the area. Scenic views of the elds can be enjoyed from

MD Route 544. To protect the 267-acre Home Farm, MET partnered with the ESLC, Queen Annes County, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). A conservation easement was purchased on Home Farm using funds from the Federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program administered by NRCS and matched with funds from the Queen Annes County Critical Farms Program. Queen Annes County Commissioner Paul Gunther, speaking on behalf of the ve-member Board of Commissioners, praised the cooperative eort. We are so pleased to be part of this collaborative eort to protect these valuable farms, said Gunther, ese types of successful projects illustrate just how government agencies and private organizations can work together to preserve land along sensitive areas. We look forward to even more public and private ventures as budgets remain tight over the next few years. METs third easement protected 115 acres of the 678-acre Mt. Ararat Farm in Cecil County. e easement protects scenic views from Route 222, Frenchtown Road, and the breathtaking vista visible to motorists traveling north on I-95/Tydings Memorial Bridge as it crosses the Susquehanna River. Additionally, the easement provides a vital trail connection for the Lower Susquehanna Greenway, protects 70 acres of forested stream valley, and 32 acres of Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. Partners for this project included MET, Cecil Land Trust, e Conservation Fund, DNR, State Highway Administration and the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway. e conservation easement was purchased with a combination of funds from the federal governments transportation enhancement program, e Conservation Fund, and DNRs Program Open Space. Upon completion of the Mt. Ararat Farm easement, Bill Crouch, Maryland Representative at e Conservation Fund, commented that, on this easement and several others, MET has been vital to the success of the project. eir expertise in negotiating and drafting conservation easements is unparalleled in Maryland. MET did a great job at capturing the landowners vision for the farm and protecting the public access and conservation features of the property.

Views of elds of Home Farm

^
M

Maryland Land Trust Alliance Conference Held in May

LTA President, Rand Wentworth delivers keynote address.

Conference participants.

ET again hosted the annual Maryland Land Trust Alliance Conference on May 27th. It is the only state-wide land conservation conference and training workshop for land trusts in Maryland. e event was held at the Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center in Reisterstown. With its own organic farm, trails and habitat restoration areas, the 164-acre campus was a perfect setting for inspirational and educational sessions for the 100 attendees from land conservation organizations. MET was pleased to hold the conference this year in Baltimore County which has more acres of preserved open space than any other county in the state. is conference was made possible with support from e Conservation Fund, e Trust for Public Land, and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). Rand Wentworth, LTA President, was the keynote speaker. e LTA is the national convener, strategist, and representative of more than 1,600 land trusts across America. Rand addressed the challenges facing conservation. LTA has worked extensively with land trusts to improve practices, introduce independent accreditation and reform appraisal practice to grow strong and ethical land trust organizations. e fact that over 100 land trusts are now accredited by LTA is a demonstration of its commitment to excellence in land conservation LTA is proposing a Conservation

Defense Insurance program for land trusts to help meet costs and obligations of facing challenges to the permanence of conservation easements. Over 400 land trusts from 47 states have now committed over 17,000 conservation easements and fee owned parcels to the proposed conservation defense insurance program. Educational workshops and sessions were oered on a variety of topics including fundraising, federal and state policy, land-use planning and conservation, and restoration opportunities. Field trips visited local farms with restoration programs and looked at development patterns. As part of the conference, the Maryland Department of Planning presented PlanMarylanda new planning process designed to create a better and more sustainable future for Maryland. is annual land conservation conference provides an opportunity for training and the exchange of new ideas within the land trust community. Development pressures, loss of natural areas and farmland, and the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay continue to be among the top concerns in Maryland. e conference helps land trusts to increase their knowledge and collaboration with local, state and federal partners, to increase the pace and quality of land conservation.

Conference presenters Ryan Ewing, Kelly Carneal and Sean Robertson.

Rand Wentworth chats with conference attendees.

Avins and Hudson Honored with Aileen Hughes Award

each year, met presents the aileen hughes award to an individual or individuals representing a maryland land trust for leadership, partnership and innovation in a conservation project. this annual award is presented in honor of the late aileen hughes, a true leader in the conservation movement. aileen was a supporter of womens and civil rights, as well as the protection of our states natural and cultural resources. aileen served as the president of the american chestnut land trust for many years .

Miriam Avins of Baltimore Green Space was the moving force behind the founding of Baltimore Green Space, a land trust for Baltimore City's community gardens, pocket parks, and other open spaces created and maintained by residents. ese urban oases convert blighted lots into places of beauty and growth, bringing environmental, social, and economic benets to their neighborhoods and the whole city. In 2009, her leadership led to important policy changes that will make Baltimore greener for the long term. e creation of an Oce of Sustainability for Baltimore City and the publication of a sustainability plan facilitated an opening to craft an agreement based on an understanding of green spaces social, environmental, and economic benets to Baltimore. Avins successfully worked with city agencies to create criteria and a process for selling cityowned land as community-managed open spaces to qualied land trusts for $1 per lot. In December 2009, sales contracts were approved for the rst two community-managed open spaces to be preserved under the programthe Pigtown Horseshoe Pit and the Duncan Street Miracle Garden. Cathy Hudson of Rockburn Land Trust (RLT) led a working committee within RLT called Save Belmont, to protect this 18th century estate which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and one of the best preserved manor homes in Maryland. e goal of Save Belmont was to ensure that the owners of Belmont would use the property within reasonable environmental and preservation parameters and follow the intentions of the easements already placed on the property. In November 2004, Howard Community Colleges Education Foundation purchased Belmont and its accompanying 83 acres. College development plans for Belmont not only violated the Belmont easement, but were so intensive and out of character

for the locale that the board of the RLT decided to make saving Belmont a high priority. Over ve years Cathy and Save Belmont members met with the elected ocials, DNR and Howard Community Colleges president and board members. Cathys leadership and eorts culminated in the college abandoning its plans for development and eventually placing Belmont for sale. e colleges decision to sell the property brings opportunity that Belmont will remain in its original condition and signals to future owners of Belmont that the property is protected and the intent of the preservation easement must be followed.

Keith and Lisa Marie Ghezzi Receive Dillon Award

Dr. Keith and Lisa Marie Ghezzi were honored with the 2010 Dillon Award for Landowner Conservation. e Ghezzi's donated an easement on 27 wooded acres in Talbot County and are completing an extensive living shoreline project on the property. e eort grew into a larger habitat restoration project to protect the habitat and educate local students about State protected diamondback terrapins. MET Board of Trustees presents the Dillon Award annually in honor of Alverta and Louise Dillon who donated a perpetual conservation easement and then bequeathed their entire Garrett County property to the MET in 1984. e Dillon Award was inaugurated in 2002.

Landowner Spotlight: Norton & Nancy Dodge

e land conservation profession often revolves around statistics number of acres protected, miles of shoreline preserved, value of development rights extinguished. At MET we try not to lose sight of the fact that behind every one of our easement properties is a landowner. And each landowner has a story to tell. Landowner Spotlight is a series that captures and shares those inspiring stories.

Cremona Farm: Jewel of the Patuxent River by Jamie Haydel, St. Marys College Intern
there is one thing Norton T. Dodges life is not lacking, its adventure. From learning to rope cattle on his ranch school in Arizona when he was young, to acquiring dissident artwork from Russia during the Cold War, Dodge has seen it all. While his interests have taken him to locations all over the country, it became clear after speaking with Dodge and his wife, that their true passion lies with the preservation of the natural landscape of their historic Cremona farm near Mechanicsville, MD. Located on the west bank of the Patuxent River, Cremona is the largest property in St. Marys County under conservation easement with the MET. e couple grew up in areas surrounded by vast stretches of open land: Norton in Oklahoma and Nancy in Illinois. ese inviting landscapes inuenced the Dodges to experience nature up close. To Nancy, there was nothing better than sailing on Lake Michigan or walking through a corn eld and listening to the rustling of the husks. Norton remembers going on canoe trips down the St. Lawrence, Colorado and Green Rivers with his fathernot seeing another soul for daysjust how Norton liked it. is driving impulse to be in the natural world has carried over into their current residence surrounded by farm land and elds and a vast, untouched nature preserve. Later in life, after having completed graduate school at Harvard University, Norton took a position teaching economics at the University of Maryland and then, from 1980 to 1988, at St. Marys College of Maryland, after serving two terms on the Board of Trustees. While living in Maryland, he soon fell in love with the tidewater region and began looking for property. He eventually found a piece of land downriver from Cremona. When Cremona came up for auction, Dodge and his wife bought the 750 acre historic farm which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, the Dodges have expanded Cremona to a total of 1,275 acres. Today the farm contains 40 buildings and structures, several of which are entrenched in the deep history of the area and date back to 1819 or earlier. Horse stables, miles of riding trails, historic rental houses, crops of corn, soybeans, and wheat, and an experimental vineyard also dot the landscape. In addition to activities, Cremona contains nearly every imaginable kind of ecosystem and wild animal of the area. e forests, marshes, elds, waterfront, and creeks are home to everything from foxes and minks to terrapins, eagles, swans, geese and song birds.

If

After having lived at Cremona for so long the Dodges have seen their fair share of environmental degradation, with one of the most immediate detrimental activities being the dredging of the Patuxent River Norton and Nancy Dodge by clammers. Starting in the 1980s, clammers have exhausted the clam population by scraping the river bottom. is in turn destroyed the nearby oyster beds through silt deposition, leading to a decrease in the population of white swans. White swans used to winter at Cremona by the hundreds. Water pollution in the river has steadily gotten worse over the years, while the property has also been plagued by invasive species, shoreline erosion and air pollution resulting primarily from a nearby power plant. In addition to these setbacks, there is also the ever present threat of encroaching residential sprawl. at is why the Dodges have placed their property under a perpetual easement with the MET so as to leave nothing to chance. Both of us care very much about maintaining large areas of woodland and open space for the enjoyment of future generations. Weve seen so many farms and forests cut to pieces by development that weve become very protective of Cremona and appreciate the role that the MET has played in preservation, said Nancy. With two perpetual conservation easements protecting the land, the Dodges can now look condently to the future of Cremona. After all, it is not just a farm, but an opportunity for archeological, historic and environmental exploration. e couple hopes to pursue future projects like oyster restoration, organic farming, tracking air and water pollutants, hosting environmental eld-trips, continuing research on the terrapin population, and conducting studies of the fauna and ora of the woods and marshes. e Dodges would also like to learn more about the propertys past by conducting oral interviews with locals who know about the areas history, and by doing archaeological digs of past structures and shell middens on the property. rough environmental preservation, Cremona will enable the Dodges and others to continue experiencing a lifestyle of adventure.

OConnell Named as New Chairman of MET

ames OConnell succeeds King Burnett as Chairman of MET. Jim has served as a trustee of the MET since 2006. Im thrilled to be taking the helm at such a critical time in METs history, said Jim, after he was elected as chair by the Board of Trustees at the May meeting. Land conservation in Maryland during the next 10-15 years needs to be a priority so that it can match the increased pace of development and population growth. e restoration of the Chesapeake Bay is contingent upon the protection of wetlands, forests and open space in the watershed.

In addition to his position with MET, OConnell is a member of many conservation organizations. He is the president of the Sugarloaf Countryside Conservancy, a local land trust for the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve. He is also a member of Trout Unlimited and the Izaak Walton League of America. A resident of Montgomery County, OConnell owns a farm which is protected with a Rural Legacy Easement. He and his family have also preserved three properties in Dorchester County with conservation easements. OConnell graduated from the University of Maryland and Georgetown University Law Center. Following service as an ocer in the United States Marine Corps, he joined the law rm of ODonoghue & ODonoghue LLP in Washington, D.C., in which he is now a senior partner.

MET Sta

From left to right: Elizabeth Buxton, Michelle Johnson, Jon Chapman, Adam Block, Carole Simon, John Hutson, Ann Gutierrez Carlson, Megan Sines, Beki Howey, Joan R. Lally, Lisa Holmes, Kristen Maneval

College Intern Joined MET for the Summer

MET was fortunate to have Aviva Brown serve as a summer intern. Aviva is a junior at St. Marys College of Maryland majoring in Sociology with a minor in Environmental Studies. Aviva assisted the conservation easement and stewardship programs and participated in the volunteer monitoring training session and the MLTA conference. She prepared eld les for monitoring and accompanied sta during monitoring visits to the eld. Aviva was a great addition to our organization for the summer.

Mets Website Has a New Look!

Visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/met/ to learn more about: How to donate a Conservation Easement What nancial incentives exist for Conservation Easement donations Who to contact if you have a question When and where MET is having an event How you can help MET Meet MET sta and Board of Trustees Find your local Land Trust Download resources to help you steward your Conservation Easement land

Stewardship
FOCUS ON
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
Stewardship is essentially everything that happens after the recordation of an easement. It includes:

D MAInTAInInG communication and promoting good

relationships with easement donors/ landowners.

D RESPonDInG to inquiries about easement applicability

from potential buyers, real estate agents, neighbors, local governments, etc., and answering questions on allowed or restricted activities.

D REVIEWInG AnD DECIDInG upon requests to exercise

reserved rights (e.g. to build additional residences, replace/relocate/expand homes, subdivide eased property).

D InVESTIGATInG AnD EnFoRCInG against reported/found

violations. Generally, MET seeks to resolve issues voluntarily with landowners, but if we cant come to a resolution, we may seek the legal assistance of the Oce of Attorney General.

D VERIFyInG (MonIToRInG) Compliance with Easement

Restrictions. e process involves: Reviewing easement language, past activities and correspondence. Alerting and scheduling a visit with landowner(s). Conducting a site visit, in which we photograph structures and observable conservation features, e.g. farm landscape, wetlands, buers, shoreline, wildlife. Filling out and typing up a visit form and printing out photos. Sending follow up correspondence to landowner(s). Updating and maintaining information on lands under easement, e.g. land use, acreage, structures, and ownership. If you have questions on recent easements (after 2006), please feel free to contact your regional easement planner at 1.877.514.7900. For easements donated prior to 2006, please contact Joan Lally, Stewardship Specialist at jlally@dnr.state.md.us. Contact Jon Chapman, Stewardship Manager at jchapman@dnr.state.md.us with questions regarding requests to exercise rights that require prior approval.

FOCUS ON STEWARDSHIP

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

ose who can, do. ose who can do more, volunteer.

~Author Unknown In APRIL, MET held its annual spring training for volunteers at Cromwell Valley Park in Baltimore County. Participants received procedural and feet on the ground training through a mock monitoring visit on the Cromwell Valley Park easement portion of the property. Trained volunteers will then be able to assist regular monitoring of MET easement properties ensure that the terms of the easement are upheld and that landowner concerns are addressed. In JunE, MET hosted its rst Volunteer Appreciation Day in conjunction with a half day Stewardship Forum. Volunteers and sta met at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Queen Annes County, which is protected with an easement held by MET and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. Participants enjoyed lunch and an afternoon of canoeing and kayaking around Marshy Creek. MET is grateful to our dedicated volunteers who donate their time to ensure that natural places are protected. Over the last year, MET volunteers have successfully monitored over 3,500 acres.

Many thanks to our volunteers for their tremendous assistance and dedication to MET in 2010!
Henry Baker Bronwyn Belling Margaux Bereston Ann Burchard Laurie Cavegn Karl Christensen Harry Coulombe Scott Fetterolf Ed Galvin David Hobson John Jones David Kieer Dennis King Ted Kluga Chris Leach Alice Leaderman Pat Maher Keith Mitchell Werner Schumann Katya Shpino Ted Weber Charlie Wells

Participants enjoy Volunteer Appreciation Day along Marshy Creek.

FOCUS ON STEWARDSHIP

METs Volunteer Program

MET HAS uTILIzED VoLunTEERS To ACCoMPLISH ITS MISSIon

since it was rst established in 1967. e Board of Trustees is composed of 12 private citizen volunteers who dedicate thousands of hours to MET. Volunteers also help MET in the capacity of committee members and interns. ey have assisted with a variety of policy questions, developed outreach materials, and helped in drafting language for easement amendments. Beginning in 2003, however, MET began an organized program to use volunteers to visit and monitor conservation easements. e MET Volunteer Monitoring program began with the support of Volunteer Maryland (VM) who selected MET as a host site for a part-time volunteer coordinator. With the rst Volunteer Maryland coordinator, Brent McKee, MET developed policies and procedures, recruitment strategy, and training materials. A corps of 20 volunteer easement monitors were recruited, trained and assigned to MET easement properties. MET volunteers have a demonstrated an interest in the environment, have background checks and are trained in monitoring procedures,

more importantly, they understand their important role as MET ambassadors. Volunteers have been eective in monitoring many of METs easement properties. MET has continued to employ part-time volunteer coordinators. Over the years, numbers of active volunteers ebbed and owed, averaging around a dozen, with annual visits averaging 49. Recently, MET has made a commitment to monitor its properties annually (a necessary step to meet accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission) and is actively increasing volunteerism to help accomplish this goal. Michelle Johnson, METs Volunteer Coordinator, is managing this eort and will recruit and train additional volunteer monitors. MET currently has 18 active volunteers who monitored a record 60 properties last year. MET volunteers help to ensure that the conservation legacies of easement donors are preserved in perpetuity. For more information about METs Volunteer Program, please contact Michelle Johnson, by email: mjohnson@dnr.state.md.us or by calling 1.877.514.7900.

Whats In Your Landscape And What Can You Do About It?

is fast growing invasive weed is springing up all over Maryland. Can you identify it?
Found at forest edges, stream banks, wetlands, roadsides, and in uncultivated elds, fence lines and other disturbed open areas. Forms a thick blanket of vines that smother and kill native plants. Has downward-pointing barbs on stems and leaves. Has small green owers in June-July followed by blue-purple fruit clusters.

Management options for control vary depending on the degree of infestation:

Maintain wide vegetative buers along streams and forest edges, to screen out & prevent establishment. Avoid clearing or creating holes in existing vegetation. Hand-pull before barbs harden on stems and leaves. Use protective gloves and clothing throughout summer with caution to avoid spreading new seeds. Recheck infested sites many times each year throughout seed germination (early April through early July in MidAtlantic region). Repeat mowing and weed whipping of low infestations reduces plant reserves and owering. To control severe infestations in high priority areas, pre-emergent herbicides can be used in early spring. Obtain recommendations from Maryland Extension or local nursery.

Do you suspect an invasive plant is growing in your yard, eld or woodland? To identify it:
Take a sample to your local nursery, university or county extension oce. Refer online to Species for Concern in Maryland at www.mdinvasivesp.org Refer to brochure Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas online at www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic For management options, visit www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact

Its Mile-A-Minute Weed (Asiatic Tearthumb, Devils Tail Tearthumb). A prolic seeder, with seeds often lasting up to six years. Often dispersed long distances by birds.

FOCUS ON STEWARDSHIP

ET has over 1000 conservation easements and works with many dierent landowners. How do we keep contact with all of these people, and make sure that they know the details of all those agreements? e answer is the network of community land trusts working all across the state. Our partners range from national conservation organizations to concerned citizens working in our rural or historic communities, to groups providing urban oasis in our large towns and cities. Over half of our easements are jointly held with a partner land trust. Jointly-held conservation easements provide advantages in two separate organizations taking responsibility for the long-term protection of the conservation agreement. Land trusts oer knowledge of their local community, including its leadership structure, government, political environment, land use laws and regulations, and natural and historic assets. ey are an invaluable asset to inspire community support for the land, historical and cultural preservation. Land trusts develop deep links into their community and provide ways to reach many dierent groups working to preserve and improve the environmental well-being of their communities.

Meet Our Local Land Trust Partners M

e strength of land trusts is that they are locally based and have insight into specic priority lands for preservation. eir community links provide a strong channel to elected representatives to support county and state land conservation programs. MET strongly values and recognizes the relationship that land trusts can build with regular contact with landowners. METs Land Trust Assistance Program provides opportunities for education, sharing ideas and support to nearly 50 land trusts. Over two-thirds of land trusts working in their communities are supported by all volunteers. METs technical and conservation expertise greatly help our partners face the challenges of stewardship. is summer we gathered experts from our land trusts for our rst ever Stewardship Forum. is group of people will be working with landowners to ensure preserved properties met the terms of the conservation agreement. Trained volunteers with our partner land trusts are a vital part of our program to know and help our landowners. Our partners can be found at www.maryland.gov/met under Your Land Trusts. Getting involved with the land trust in your area is a great way to show your support!

100 Community Place First Floor Crownsville, MD 21032-2023 PHONE 410.514.7900 TOLL FREE 877.514.7900 FAx 410.514.7919 www.dnr.state.md.us/met

is newsletter is printed on 100% recycled paper using soy-based inks.

Make a contribution to MET today!

o date, MET has protected over 125,000 acres on more than 1,000 easements across the state. MET has the long term responsibility for monitoring and stewarding these properties in perpetuity. Regular monitoring requires considerable resources and MET has established the Stewardship Fund to help oset expenses related to monitoring our easement properties. Your generous contribution to the Stewardship Fund will ensure that the conservation easements will be upheld into the future.

Did you know?

D D
MET was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1967. By statute, MET is governed by a citizen-led Board of Trustees that includes representatives of the Governor and State legislature. MET serves as the statewide land trust. e mission of MET is the protection of land from development through donated conservation easements. A conservation easement is a perpetual legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that permanently limits the uses on the land in order to protect its conservation values. It ensures that a property shall not be developed or subdivided beyond an agreed limit. e land is thereby protected and preserved while the landowner retains all rights of ownership and privacy. An easement is binding on all future landowners. MET accepted its rst easement donation in 1972, a time when land protection and conservation easements were still in their infancy. Today, MET is one of the oldest and most successful land trusts in the nation. Working with 56 local land trust partners, MET has permanently protected over 126,000 acres on more than 1,000 properties encompassing all 23 counties and the City of Baltimore, primarily through voluntary conservation easements.

PLEASE MAIL youR TAx DEDuCTIBLE DonATIon In THE EnCLoSED EnVELoPE. THAnK you!

Thank You to Our Contributors:

Charles and Caroline Benson Ronald Boyer and Lizabeth McDowell Burnet and Lydia Chalmers Gaylord Clark Bill and Sarah DAlonzo Delaware Community Foundation Ajax Eastman Martha Furman Edward Huber Patricia Hutchinson James Lighthizer Kurt Miller James and Maureen OConnell Henry Pitts Mr. and Mrs. Ronald M. Shapiro Alan Stonebraker Adena Testa Michael and Cheryl Zimmer