Along with partner Tall Timbers, ESLC is honored to receive a 2025 grant from the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative. Fourteen land trusts across the  country received a total of $260,000 to be used for bird conservation. “We are incredibly grateful to  Cornell for supporting us in this powerfully beneficial management practice, knowing it will greatly uplift  the conservation value of our region,” commented ESLC Enhanced Stewardship Manager Larisa  Prezioso. Prezioso will work with Tall Timbers’ Delmarva Prescribed Fire Coordinator & Game Bird  Biologist Kyle Magdziuk to advance “biologically beneficial blazes,” an initiative to promote and  accelerate the use of prescribed fire to enhance bird habitat. 

“Prescribed fire is an often misunderstood and underutilized tool on the Eastern Shore,” commented  ESLC President and CEO Steve Kline. “ESLC looks forward to equipping landowners with safe,  responsible prescribed fire management plans so we can continue to enhance conserved lands and bring  back that beloved quail call so many of us miss.” 

Over time sprawl development, “edge-to-edge” commercial farming practices, and the compounding  pressures of climate change have drastically reduced habitat for grassland and early successional birds like  Northern bobwhite, Eastern meadowlarks, and grasshopper sparrows. According to the North American  Breeding Bird Survey, 83% of grassland birds experienced significant population declines from 1966 to  2022, with Northern bobwhite quail suffering the largest population loss over the last 50 years, upwards  of more than 90% decline in Maryland alone. 

While many successful initiatives have restored crucial habitat, continued management has been a  challenge since grasslands tend to transition back to forests when left alone. Historically, fire occurred  every 4 to 10 years in this region, preventing this transition. Thanks to funding from Cornell, ESLC will  work with Tall Timbers to maintain the Eastern Shore’s grassland spaces through the responsible use of  prescribed fire. 

Upcoming outreach activities include a 2026 “learn and burn” demonstration, creating grassland habitat  management plans that utilize prescribed burning for conservation easement landowners, and compiling  and distributing resources for landowners to manage their habitat with prescribed fire. “When applied  safely, responsibly, and consistently,” Magdziuk explains, “prescribed fire mitigates the risk of wildfires,  supports a balanced ecosystem with native plant and wildlife communities, and keeps the ecosystem  healthy and resilient, while being one of the most cost-effective tools available.” 

To learn more about ESLC’s prescribed burn initiative, please reach out to Larisa Prezioso at  [email protected]. To learn more about Tall Timbers or about the brand new Eastern Shore Prescribed  Burn Association, please reach out to Kyle Magdziuk at [email protected]. 

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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.

Join Eastern Shore Land Conservancy as we celebrate our  35th anniversary on Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 1—4 PM during our third annual  LandJam! This year, this family-friendly afternoon will be at the wonderful Councell Farms  during their opening weekend. LandJam features live local music including upbeat blues rock  music from the 599s and bluegrass from Coastal Plain. Local favorite Taqueria Floritas will  serve up fresh tacos. Kids can learn more about ESLC’s conservation work on the Eastern Shore and win a fun ESLC prize by participating in a simple scavenger hunt that winds through  Councell Farms’ fall Field of Fun! 

This event is rain or shine. Admission is just $6 per person. Admission is free for grandparents  and children under two. ESLC encourages pre-registration at  

https://www.eslc.org/event/landjam/, but walk-ups are welcome. Free parking, bathrooms, and  handwashing stations are available. 

Councell Farms’ 20+ fall attractions will be up and running! Come enjoy the playground, feed  the goats, pick out fall pumpkins and apple cider, and enjoy Councell’s corn maze, jumping  pillow, combine slide, duck races, trike track, straw maze, and more! Councell Farms also serves  ice cream from Vanderwende’s, a family-owned-and-operated dairy farm and creamery in  Delaware. 

“Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is thrilled to partner with Chip, his family, and all of Councell  Farms for our third annual LandJam,” said ESLC CEO & President Steve Kline. “A community  leader, thoughtful business owner, and friend of ESLC, Chip is a tremendous example of the  devoted Eastern Shore advocates whose pivotal support have provided a sturdy foundation for  ESLC’s 35 years of service and 67,000+ acres of Eastern Shore conservation.” 

ESLC is very grateful to all individuals and businesses who have chosen to sponsor this year’s  LandJam. Sponorships are still available at all levels. For more information please visit our  registration page (https://www.eslc.org/event/landjam/) or contact ESLC Development Manager  Sam Pugh at [email protected] or (410) 227-8182. 

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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.

Join Eastern Shore Land Conservancy as we celebrate our  35th anniversary on Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 1—4 PM during our third annual  LandJam! This year, this family-friendly afternoon will be at the wonderful Councell Farms  during their opening weekend. LandJam features live local music including upbeat blues rock  music from the 599s and bluegrass from Coastal Plain. Local favorite Taqueria Floritas will  serve up fresh tacos. Kids can learn more about ESLC’s conservation work on the Eastern Shore and win a fun ESLC prize by participating in a simple scavenger hunt that winds through  Councell Farms’ fall Field of Fun! 

This event is rain or shine. Admission is just $6 per person. Admission is free for grandparents  and children under two. ESLC encourages pre-registration at  

https://www.eslc.org/event/landjam/, but walk-ups are welcome. Free parking, bathrooms, and  handwashing stations are available. 

Councell Farms’ 20+ fall attractions will be up and running! Come enjoy the playground, feed  the goats, pick out fall pumpkins and apple cider, and enjoy Councell’s corn maze, jumping  pillow, combine slide, duck races, trike track, straw maze, and more! Councell Farms also serves  ice cream from Vanderwende’s, a family-owned-and-operated dairy farm and creamery in  Delaware. 

“Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is thrilled to partner with Chip, his family, and all of Councell  Farms for our third annual LandJam,” said ESLC CEO & President Steve Kline. “A community  leader, thoughtful business owner, and friend of ESLC, Chip is a tremendous example of the  devoted Eastern Shore advocates whose pivotal support have provided a sturdy foundation for  ESLC’s 35 years of service and 67,000+ acres of Eastern Shore conservation.” 

ESLC is very grateful to all individuals and businesses who have chosen to sponsor this year’s  LandJam. Sponorships are still available at all levels. For more information please visit our  registration page (https://www.eslc.org/event/landjam/) or contact ESLC Development Manager  Sam Pugh at [email protected] or (410) 227-8182. 

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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.

A lot has changed in Queen Anne’s County since Bets Sener Durham hooked a wagon to her Cub Cadet tractor at the age of twelve and drove herself and a friend three miles from her family’s farm the whole way to Church Hill and back. MD-213 might have a little too much traffic for that type of travel these days, but the Seners’ Southeast Creek Farm, located on a beautiful forest-fringed property between Southeast and Syberrys Creeks, will now remain just as beautiful and natural as it was in Bets’s childhood—forever.

Last week, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy finalized the permanent protection of Southeast Creek Farm, through a donated easement co-held by Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and made possible by Durham and her two brothers Tenny Sener and Ward Sener. This new easement, covering nearly 100 acres, marks an exciting conservation win for Queen Anne’s County, which has now exceeded state goals by preserving more than 43% of its agricultural zoned land. “We want to thank the Seners and Durhams for their dedication to the conservation of their spectacular property,” said David Satterfield, ESLC Director of Land Conservation. “Their love for their land is clearly shown through their actions; both through the restoration of the land for wildlife and now its protection in perpetuity. We look forward to continuing to work with them to pursue their passion for conserving this great resource for generations to come.”

Once primarily agricultural, Southeast Creek farm has transformed into a lush and thriving grassland habitat through Washington College’s Natural Lands Project (NLP). Extensive meadows will now reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in local waterways, provide beautiful scenery, serve as a model of restoration for people driving down Southeast Creek Road, and help to support the property’s waterfowl, grassland birds, beavers, wild turkeys, raccoons, and the bobwhite quail that have been heard distantly following recent meadow enhancements.

The farm’s 4,724 feet of water frontage on Southeast Creek protects ecological and scenic value for watermen, sailors, and kayakers alike. Of its 100 acres, approximately 70 acres are former grain fields now under ecological restoration, 24.5 acres are woodlands that will be managed through a forest stewardship plan to support Forest Interior Dwelling Species, and 56 acres are enrolled in a CREP buffer planting program. The easement also falls within a state-designated Targeted Ecological Area and lies within one mile of other protected lands, building valuable landscape-level connectivity.

Reflecting on his family’s move from Baltimore in the 1960s, Tenny Sener said the relocation was “expansive in terms of our level of experience,” providing both laidback recreation and contemplative corners where he and his siblings were forced to bear witness to nature, where “nothing’s going on and everything’s going on.” Tenny and Bets remain on the Eastern Shore to this day, choosing to donate a conservation easement to protect their home, simply because, as Bets said, “I love the land so much that I wanted to protect it forever.”

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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.

Thanks to the generous support of Bruce Wiltse and Bill Davenport, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) and Plein Air Easton (PAE) will host “Forever For Everyone,” a plein air invitational celebrating public parks and trails conserved and enhanced by ESLC. A new round of PAE award winners will paint spring scenes at Bohemia River State Park, the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Oxford Conservation Park, and Friendship Park. These properties were partly funded by Program Open Space, which was at risk of being zeroed out in Maryland’s most recent General Assembly.

Paintings will be on display July 17-19 during the Avalon Foundation’s 21st PAE festival, the largest and most prestigious juried plein air painting competition in the United States. ESLC and PAE will host a free preview reception and award ceremony on Wednesday July 16, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Eastern Shore Conservation Center in Easton—an excellent opportunity to get a first look at the artwork, meet the artists, enjoy refreshments, and learn more about ESLC’s conservation work.

 

More than 10,000 of the 67,000+ acres ESLC has helped to protect are open to the public. ESLC has a long history of purchasing properties before they can be developed and then transferring the conserved land to become parks, preserves, and extensions of public-access Wildlife Management Areas. This work began in 1992 with the transfer of saltmarsh and woodland to expand the Maryland Ornithological Society’s Irish Grove. And it continues today with the restoration of Camp Grove Point, which will expand Grove Farm WMA’s 1,000 acres of forest, farms, marshes, and beaches that provide public access for hiking, fishing, birding, and hunting. 

“Forever for Everyone puts our public lands—made possible through Program Open Space and the conservation work of ESLC—right in front of people’s eyes,” said ESLC President & CEO, Steve Kline. “These places aren’t just scenic—they’re state investments in public access, community health, and local economies. ESLC is deeply grateful to PAE, the Avalon Foundation, Bruce Wiltsie and Bill Davenport, and to the exceptionally talented artists who bring our unique landscape to life.”

Marie Nuthall, Plein Air Easton’s Outdoor Event Coordinator commented, “We are deeply grateful for our collaboration with ESLC, which has brought to life a vision celebrating the beauty of our Eastern Shore landscape. We’re thrilled to welcome back exceptional PAE alumni artists for the exhibit from July 16-19 which is free and (like the featured properties) open to the public. Come by enjoy inspiring art, support our talented artists, and celebrate the Eastern Shore landscapes we cherish. Your support enriches our community culture and helps protect the environment we love.”

 

ESLC is grateful to Cameron Davidson, Dave Harp, Ashley Stubbs, Dylan Taillie, Hillel Brandes, Jill Jasuta, Kirk Marks, and Susan Hale who photo-documented these parks, enabling some artists to paint from home locations.

Those interested in attending the July 16th preview can register for free at www.eslc.org/events.

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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.

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Native Shorelines, a Davey Tree Company, are excited to announce that we will be the first in Maryland to implement an innovative new living shoreline material called QuickReef! Our pilot project, managed by ESLC Enhanced Stewardship Manager Larisa Prezioso, will protect a beautiful expanse of tidal saltmarsh habitat fronting a 357-acre ESLC conservation easement in Dorchester County. This project is funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

QuickReef is comprised primarily of native coastal materials including limestone marl and recycled oyster shells, all sourced from North Carolina. The resulting blocks can be arranged in many different formations and are an ideal substrate for oyster recruitment and aquatic environment enhancement. Placed in the shallow waters of the intertidal zone in a configuration that attenuates wave energy, the resulting structures create calm space for marsh to establish itself, and the nooks and crannies inherent to QuickReef’s design create aquatic habitat for fish, crabs, barnacles and oysters. This new material has the potential to make living shoreline projects on the Eastern Shore both quicker and more affordable, essential qualities considering the Chesapeake Bay can lose two million metric tonnes of sediment due to erosion in a single year.

Living shoreline restoration can successfully mitigate this loss, proving itself as a frontier resilience activity. But further implementation of living shoreline projects lags behind due to accessibility and affordability, no matter how high the interest or how desperate the need to protect vital infrastructure. Finding ways to quickly overcome these barriers is essential as more county comprehensive plans and coastal resiliency impact reports depend upon living shoreline strategies.

More than half of ESLC’s 332 protected properties are located along major rivers in six counties in the mid- and upper-Chesapeake Bay region, amounting to 935,961 linear feet (or 177 miles) of vulnerable shoreline. In 2021, ESLC surveyed conservation easement landowners and found that more than a third of respondents were concerned about shoreline stabilization and loss of habitat. With these needs and county comprehensive plans in mind, ESLC is working to accelerate the adoption of living shorelines from both private landowners and municipalities in a cost-effective and timely manner across a large geographic range. QuickReef living shoreline implementation would create a new, affordable opportunity for landowners to access a fast, cost-effective shoreline resiliency solution while simultaneously providing living shoreline benefits.

The Dorchester County pilot project will be utilized as a demonstration site for further transferability and scalability of QuickReef living shorelines. Site-assessments will also gauge suitability for twenty further QuickReef installation projects on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. ESLC will also lead an in-person living shorelines educational workshop later this year to plan for future adoption of QuickReef as a shoreline resiliency tool on the Eastern Shore.

Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) and the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN) released an expansive report today showing the  economic impact of natural resources conservation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the entire  Delmarva Peninsula.  

“This report underscores the profound financial benefits of conserving our natural resources,” said  Steve Kline, president and CEO of ESLC, and chair of DRCN. “Decision makers prioritize  economic development, and rightfully so. Here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and on the broader  Delmarva, our natural resources are a powerful economic engine. Continuing to commit strong  funding to the programs that conserve and restore those natural resources is not only a wise  investment in the environment, but an investment in a healthy economy that will drive regional  prosperity for generations to come.”  

According to the report, natural resources drive approximately $8.1 billion in economic activity  annually across the thirteen-county region. The report highlights that the resource-based economy  of the Delmarva Peninsula supports more than 74,000 jobs region-wide, contributing more than  $2.6 billion in annual labor income. Key findings include:  

• Natural resources on the Delmarva Peninsula generate over $8.1 billion in annual economic activity. 
• These activities support more than $2.6 billion in annual labor income and sustain over 74,000 jobs across key industries, including forestry, agriculture, fishing, restoration, and tourism. 
• This economic activity supports more than $700 million in annual tax revenues for State/Commonwealth governments in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

The report, titled, “Natural Resources Conservation on the Delmarva Peninsula,” draws on input  data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and state and local  government financial documents to model critical impacts. The report was conducted by Sage Policy  Group (SAGE), a renowned economic and policy consultancy that works alongside clients in the  public, private, and nonprofit sectors to produce a comprehensive quantitative report. The study  includes data, several case studies, and community spotlights that highlight the voices of the Eastern  Shore through the perspectives of local business owners and community members benefitting from  ongoing environmental conservation.  

“The findings of this report are deeply important and mark a pivotal moment for understanding the  true value of our natural resources. The region’s wetlands, forests, and waterways are not only vital  to our ecosystem and culture, but also clearly serve as key economic drivers,” said Michelle Koenig, DRCN Co-Chair and Director of Conservation and Watershed Planning with the Delaware Center  for Inland Bays. 

“As this report shows, protecting the Eastern Shore’s natural resources is not only critical to our  environment – it’s also central tothe region’s economy, supporting more than 74,000 jobs and over $8 billion in economic activity. These findings demonstrate why our work to protect and preserve  the Chesapeake Bay is so important, and I’ll continue working alongside partners like ESLC and the  DRCN in these efforts,” said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. 

“Conserving our state’s natural beauty doesn’t just make Delaware more resilient against the effects  of climate change, it’s an economic driver that sparks tourism and recreation and creates good paying jobs,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “I’m proud to have secured the funding required to  spur this report making clear we need to continue to protect our state’s natural heritage because  when it does well, our whole state does well.” 

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The mission of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) is to conserve, steward, and advocate  for the unique rural landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. ESLC is a nationally recognized  nonprofit that has helped to protect more than 68,000 acres of land on more than 330 properties  stretching across six counties: Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline, and Dorchester. Since  1990, ESLC’s work has provided access to nature and outdoor recreation; protected migratory hubs,  wildlife corridors, and diverse habitats; safeguarded farms, forests, and wetlands; and promoted the  rural heritage of the Eastern Shore. 

Formed in 2017, the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN) is a  collaborative of local, state, and federal government agencies and nongovernment organizations whose mission is to restore and conserve Delmarva’s landscapes, waterways, and shorelines that are  special to its people, fundamental to its economy, and vital to its native fish, wildlife, and plants. They work with private and public landowners to identify the most important places to protect and  restore land, while obtaining support and funding for voluntary restoration and conservation.

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].  

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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.

 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.  

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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.

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.