S c e n i c R i v e rs L a n d T r u st
WINTER 2010
T h e N e w s l e tt e r
of the
Scenic Rivers Land Trust
Stewardship and the Land Trust
We are all stewards of the land. Scenic
Rivers Land Trust (SRLT) pursues this stewardship responsibility through the very
effective mechanism of acquiring and
preserving development rights for intact
forests and wetlands, thereby protecting
them forever from the ravages of excessive development.
SRLT’s Board and Stewardship Committee
reviews proposed acquisition documents
to determine that a property does indeed
deserve preservation (an abandoned steel
plant might deserve historic preservation,
but not environmental preservation, for
example), and that the property description is adequate to support future identification and inspections.
Much of the undeveloped land in Anne
Arundel County is identified in deeds containing the old “stick and stone” boundary
identifiers, and it often becomes necessary to work with landowners in the
field to identify boundaries and assign
GPS coordinates. Before acquisition is
complete an inventory of the pre-existing development features, if any, for the
benefit of future inspectors is created.
Don Wilson (3rd from the left) and members of the SRLT Stewardship
Committee visit other protected land in the Severn Run Natural Area.
When we perform subsequent formal inspections of the easement properties, we
use the original easement description as
the basis to ensure that
no sign of development or disturbance
has appeared.
Continued on
page 4
Easement - Old Colony Cove 2004)
PAGE 2
WINTER 2010
Message from the President
Scenic Rivers Land Trust (SRLT) had a
very successful 2009, even in light of
the financial state of the economy. With
your investment, we ended this decade
in a great position to move the organization forward in 2010! We thank you - our
donors, volunteers and landowners - for
your continued support.
Last year, our easements totaled an additional 71 acres, including 61 within the
South River Greenway (SRG) project area.
In total, an impressive 167 acres of high
quality lands were preserved in their
natural state in the SRG in 2009.
We are extremely proud of the BradshawPistole Easement at Hidden View Farm,
which we received great press coverage
on in The Capital in December. If you
missed the article, please visit our website
(www.SRLT.org) for a copy of the press release and be sure to see Alyssa Domzal’s
recap on page 6. We also entered into an
easement on 9.3 acres in South County,
preventing development and facilitating
the return of former community lands
to the community association in this
Olmstead-style 1920’s waterfront community.
events to suit different audiences, and, as
always, fulfilling our mission of guarding
the land in Anne Arundel County already
under land protection agreements with
us. To that end, we have focused on
stewardship in this issue, with an article
written by Honorary Board and Stewardship Committee Member, Donald Wilson,
on the previous page.
We are in the process of establishing a
program to allow supporters of SRLT to
become trained stewardship volunteers to
assist us in this critical (but fun!) work that
we do. Please stay tuned for stewardship
training opportunities in the future.
Our website, www.SRLT.org, is currently
undergoing a major update at the moment. The new site will enable you to
continue to donate securely online,
register for our events and find out more
information on our progress to date.
Watch this space!
Andrew I. Garte
President, Scenic Rivers Land Trust
This year, we continue to focus on securing needed easements within our P.S. Please join me for the Contee Farm
targeted areas of the South River and Hike on Saturday, February 6. I look
other watersheds. We will be varying our forward to seeing you!
Board of Directors
Scenic Rivers Land Trust
2010
Officers
Andrew I. Garte, President
Anne Schellie, Vice President
Jennifer Troy, Treasurer
Janet E. Norman, Secretary
Directors
Clifford G. Andrew
Robert Gallagher
Jonathan B. Hall
Kristen Maneval
James R. Martin, Jr.
Richard Mason
Marilyn Taylor
Staff
Danielle DeVeau Crawford
Director of Development and Outreach
Alyssa Domzal
Watershed Coordinator
Honorary Board
Julie Caverly
Diane Chasse
Marcia Hague
Dan Haas
Nelson O’Neill
David Plott
William Schardt
Chris Swatta
Benjamin Wechsler
Donald S. Wilson
Send editorial correspondence to the
Editorial Committee:
Scenic Rivers Land Trust
P.O. Box 2008
Annapolis, MD 21404
E-mail: [email protected]
Contee Farm - 2008
SCENIC RIVERS Land Trust
PAGE 3
Scenic Rivers Land Trust 2009 Donor Honor Roll
Scenic Rivers Land Trust would like to thank the following partners and private donors for their generous support in 2009:
Anne Arundel County Department
of Recreation & Parks
Audubon MD-DC
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Biophilia Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Environmental Finance Center
Free State Press
Helena Foundation
Maryland Department of Natural
Resources
Maryland Environmental Trust
Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
South River Federation
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Aist
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ake
Dr. and Mrs. Sergio Alvarez
Dr. Sigmund A. Amitin
Mr. Rodell B. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Andrew
Dr. and Mrs. Clifford G. Andrew
C.E. & J.H. Andrews
Bhawna R. Bahethi
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas I. Baldwin
Mr. and Mrs. Roy C. Beard
Ms. Charlotte R. Bell
Ms. Lisa Benish
Mr. David I. Berman
Dr. and Mrs. Scott Billings
Mr. and Mrs. Kensel A. Bishop
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Bloomfield
Ms. Mary Lou Bohle
Mr. William Boro
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Boyd
Mr. Robert N. Branan
Ms. Jill Breem
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brewer
Mr. Stephen Brockman
Mr. and Mrs. J. Michael Brooks
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Brown
Ms. Pamela L. Brune and Mr.
Gregory W. Lowe
Mrs. Amy Vansant Brunell
Ms. Ann Burris
Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Buschhorn
Mr. and Mrs. Russell R. Cadorette
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Calhoon
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Candon
Ms. Ruth Wilson Cann
Ms. Martha J. Carnaggio
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence E. Carr, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack L. Carr
Dr. and Mrs. James G. Chaconas
Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Chandler
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan W.
Chapman
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Chasse
Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Cheney
Mr. and Mrs. James Clauson
Ms. Elaine Cornell
Ms. Marjorie Craig
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Crawford
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crowe
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Crowley
Mr. Jim Crutchfield
Mr. and Mrs. Toby Delrahim
Ms. Deborah Devan
Ms. Patricia J. DiLego
Michael J. Dodd, MD
Mr. Malcolm Doying
Mr. Roger Drissel
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Earl
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Falk
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Faust
Ms. Karen Feldman
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Ferguson
Ms. Amy Lynn Fernandes
Mr. and Mrs. William G. Fink
Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Ford, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Dwight Fortier
Ms. Joyce H. Fowler
Ms. Mary Frank
Mr. Bob Frank
Dr. Joseph N. Friend
Mr. Ronald Fudge
Mr. Robert P. Gallagher and Ms.
Cate D. Greene
Mr. and Mrs. Garland Ray Gandee
Mr. and Mrs. Glen R. Garber, Jr.
Ms. Kim D. Gause
Ms. Barbara Geiger
Ms. Alice S. Gillis
Mr. and Mrs. John Goodhue
Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Gosnell,Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. David L. Griffith
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Grimes
Ms. Holly Gwin
Ms. Alison E. Hall
Ms. Anna M. Haneke
Ms. Mary Hanning
Mr. Matthew Hannum
Mr. Ben Harris
Ms. Nancy L. Hartman
Danalee Henkart Trust
LTC Kathy L. Hennes
Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Henselder
Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Hightower
Mr. and Mrs. William P. Hill, Sr.
Ms. Helen U. Hoerichs
Mr. and Mrs. Janford Hof
Dr. and Mrs. Dean Hoover
Carolyn Lyons Horan
Dr. Sally Hornor and Mr. Thomas
Caap
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Hubbard
Mr. and Mrs. Alan J. Hyatt
Ms. Diana C. Hyde
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Iler
Mr. Walter F. Jacobs
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jehl
Ms. Carol Jelich
Ms. Vivien G. Johnson
Ms. Joan A. Johnson
Ms. Ellen Ruth Jones
Mr. Jeremy Joseph and Mrs. Abigail
Marsh
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald F. Kane Sr.
Mr. Mark W. Kellogg
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Kennedy
Mr. Terrick Khan
Shirley F. Kirby and C.J. Kulasik
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Klossner
Ms. Kristin Kluge
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen O. Knox
Chhaya Kulkarni
Dr. and Mrs. Michael J. La Penta
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lahn
Dr. Walter E. Landmesser, Jr.
Ms. Ruth Latimer
Ms. Lucretia Lawson
Mrs. Margaret A. Lindeman
Mr. and Mrs. James Lindemann
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lindsay
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Littlejohn
Ms. Janet S. Mackey and
Mr. Ronald G. Ketter
Mr. Dan Madison
Mr. Warren A.E. Magruder
Mr. and Mrs. Rickey F. Majka
Mr. and Mrs. Rich D. Mason
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mason
Ms. Shirley Mason
Mr. Mike McCormick
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel S. McKelvey
Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. McWethy
Ms. Paula Meyer
Ms. Kathy Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Albert T. Miller
Mr. Rob Mitchell
Mr. Thomas Moore
Ms. Bobbie D. Morehead
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mortimer
The Honorable Ellen O. Moyer
Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Murphy
Mr. Dennis L. Murray, Sr.
Mr. Ayris Narock
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Newman
Ms. Janet E. Norman and Dr. Mark
T. Walter
Mr. and Mrs. William R. Norris, Jr.
Mr. Steven J. Oder and
Ms. Robin L. Nuskind
Dr. and Mrs. Hilary T. O’Herlihy
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Orff
Mr. and Mrs. William Ormond
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn C. Parker
Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Parker
Ms. Sandra Payne
Mr. and Mrs. Gus Perrotta
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred C. Petruccy
Ms. Theresa Pigole
Mr. and Mrs. France A. Pindell
Mr. Robert W. Posten and Ms. Ellen
C. Bungay-Posten
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin H. Poston
Ms. Aphrodite D. Poulos
Mr. and Mrs. Norman A. Poulsen
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence R. Pratt
Ms. Mary T. Preas
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Quinlan
Mr. and Mrs. William S. Reiber
Mr. and Mrs. Carl L. Reichwein
Ms. Holly Richardson
Mr. and Mrs. M. Delmar Ritchie
Ms. Mary Rivkin
Ms. Lynne Rockenbauch
Ms. Janet Rodenbarger
Ms. Elizabeth J. Rogers
Ms. Beverly Rucker
Ms. Elizabeth Rucker
Mr. Russell Rucks
Drs. James W. and Ann G. Ruppel
Ms. Pauline P. Salerno
Ms. Phyllis Saroff
Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Schellie
Mr. Jeff Schornig
Mr. Ian Shantz and Ms. Sheila
Stager
Mr. and Mrs. John Sherwood
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Shively
Dr. Frederick A. Siegert
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas B. Simon
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Smell
Ms. Jenny Smeltzer
Mr. Douglas W. Smith
Drs. Garth and Mary Anne Smith
Ms. Wendy Sparrow
Mr. Paul J. Speyser III
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene H. St. Pierre
Mr. Sean Staser
Ms. Brenda C. Stephens
Ms. Mary E. Storton
Ms. Mary L. Andrew Swacker
Mr. and Mrs. Pat Tate
Ms. Cheryl A. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold J. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Eduard Ten Siethoff
Mr. William B. Tereniak and
Ms. Teresa Wolfe
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore A. Tietge
Ms. Nancy L. Torney
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Townsend
Mr. and Mrs. David Troy
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Troy
Mr. and Mrs. John Van Dyke
B Van Horn
Ms. Ann D. Walker
Mr. and Mrs. Warren M. Ward
Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Watson
Mr. Ted Weber
Ms. Adelina Welch
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Western
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Whitcomb
Mr. and Mrs. Gustave Whiteley
Mr. and Mrs. Duane Wilding
Mr. and Mrs. Neal Wilkins
Mr. Boro William
Dr. Jon E. and Harley Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Willis, Jr.
Ms. Ida E. Wills
Mr. and Mrs. Donald S. Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. George M. Woelfel
Ms. Charlotte M. Wyatt
The Reverend and Mrs. Elmer Zick
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Zodhiates
Mr. and Mrs. John Zseleczky
Scenic Rivers Land Trust, P.O. Box 2008, Annapolis, MD 21404, 410/424-4000, www.SRLT.org
PAGE 4
WINTER 2010
SRLT at Waterworks Park:
A Greenway Hike
Continued from page 1
If there is a violation of the easement terms it is the responsibility of SRLT to achieve a return to the original condition.
In the event that true legal action is needed, we are in the
fortunate position to have restricted funding available to take
the appropriate steps.
Stewardship involves map-work, even detective-work, and lots
of time in the field. Learning the trade is easy and a pleasure.
In 2010, SRLT will be increasing the frequency of our stewardship visits, according to the best practices for local land trusts
as recommended by the Maryland Environmental Trust and
the Land Trust Alliance.
We need volunteers to accomplish this! To find out how you
can become a part of our Stewardship Committee in the future please visit www.SRLT.org or contact the SRLT Office on
410-424-4000.
SRLT leads hike to discover Waterworks Park connection in
South River Greenway
Donald S. Wilson
Honorary Board
Stewardship Committee Member
A dozen eager hikers accompanied SRLT Board Member Janet
Norman and Greenway Coordinator Alyssa Domzal on a sunny
Saturday, December 12, 2009, through the City of Annapolis’
Waterworks Park trails.
Normally a permit only park with entrance fees, SRLT arranged
and led the free hike to spotlight the Park’s connections to
adjoining public properties which could form an extensive
Greenway trail system in the future. The winding trail through
the mature beech/oak forest offers a convenient nature escape
in the local Annapolis area.
Some of the Greenway’s native fauna were introduced, such
as the Eastern floater mussel, a large specimen (6 inches!) from
the small stream below the Waterworks dam, which drains
Broad Creek into the South River.
We are eager to enjoy
more corners of the
Greenway, so be sure
to visit our website
www.SRLT.org for future
hikes and events.
Easement - Tidewater Colony, 1997
Eastern floater mussel in Broad Creek
Easement - Sullivan’s Cove, 1989
SCENIC RIVERS Land Trust
PAGE 5
Easement Spotlight: Hidden View Farm
SRLT marked the end of 2009 with a
major win for conservation in the South
River Greenway-- the permanent preservation of a 61-acre forested parcel within
Crownsville’s Hidden View Farm. SRLT,
along with the Maryland Environmental
Trust, will hold the conservation easement
forever protecting Hidden View Farm’s
forest from development, regardless of
its ownership in the future.
This privately-owned property contains
stunning views of the South River, and
a 450-year-old white oak tree within its
mature, contiguous forest. This easement protects the valuable forest interior
habitat for birds and other forest-dwelling
critters, warding off fragmentation of the
forest and erosion/sedimentation damage to the South River which would have
resulted from development.
The mature forest of Hidden View Farm provides excellent habitat for birds and other critters.
When Richard Bradshaw and Micheal
Pistole visited the property in 1991, they
were met with the daunting task of
cleaning up over 10,000 tires that had
been dumped on its fields. However, they
were struck by the landscape’s beauty,
and decided to buy the property and
invest in its cleanup. Nearly twenty years
later, they chose to pursue a conservation
easement in order to eliminate the
two development rights existing on
the property, and permanently protect
the land that they have cared for and
enjoyed throughout this time.
“We want other people to know about this
easement, so they may choose to conserve
their land, too. It is our hope that others
will be inspired by our decision and pursue
conservation easements with SRLT,” said
Richard Bradshaw.
Conservation of Hidden View Farm helps protect water
quality in Bacon Ridge Branch and the South River.
SRLT applauds Mr. Bradshaw and Dr.
Pistole for their long-term commitment to
the conservation of this natural gem.
Please visit www.SRLT.org to find out
further information on conservation easements or contact 410-424-4000.
SRLT’s Alyssa Domzal discusses
the easement with landowner
Richard Bradshaw during a visit
to the property in June.
Scenic Rivers Land Trust, P.O. Box 2008, Annapolis, MD 21404, 410/424-4000, www.SRLT.org
PAGE 6
WINTER 2010
Views from the Greenway
I am excited to share the South River Greenway Project’s impressive highlights of 2009.
We saw major progress in all four project areas:
1)
2)
3)
4)
land protection,
habitat assessment,
habitat restoration, and
public access.
We closed the year with the finalization of a conservation easement on 61 forested
acres of privately-owned land (see Bradshaw-Pistole above), the County purchase of
140 acres of future parkland, and recognition of the Greenway project as a regional
conservation priority by the Washington Smart Growth Alliance (see Hidden View Farm
on page 5).
These accomplishments have one important factor in common: they were all a product of our partnerships with other organizations committed to the South River Greenway, a key to our joint success. This collaboration was in action for our native
tree planting organized along with Chesapeake Bay Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South River Federation, and MD
Dept. of Natural Resources. One hundred forty volunteer adults and kids planted 1,430 sapling trees on 4.5 acres of previously
mowed field, contiguous to mature Greenway forest.
The site is located in the headwaters of the Bacon Ridge Branch tributary of the South River. The project helped to restore the
Greenway’s wildlife habitat and improve water quality, but it was also an excellent opportunity for us to engage our neighbors
and showcase the partnerships that make the Greenway project move forward.
Please contact me for volunteer opportunities, questions about donating a land easement, or signing up for our next hike…
looking forward to seeing you in the Greenway!
Alyssa Domzal
Watershed Coordinator
[email protected]
410-424-4000
P.S. The Biophilia Foundation continues to support
the South River Greenway with a 1:1 match on donations to SRLT. Please give to the Greenway’s efforts,
and have your contribution doubled.d.
Volunteers prepare 1430 trees for planting on 4.5 acre site
Jeff Campbell, UMBC.
Volunteers lay trees next to the pre-dug holes to
prepare for the planting.
Jeff Campbell, UMBC
SCENIC RIVERS Land Trust
PAGE 7
Save the Date: 2010 Events February - May
Contee Farm Hike
Saturday, February 6, 10am - 11:30am
February
Join SRLT on Saturday, February 6th for a hike through the mature forests and scenic shores of the
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater. The hike will be led by SRLT President
Andrew Garte and SERC Director of Education Mark Haddon. The hike is easy-moderate in difficulty and
will be held at a moderate adult pace. Trails may be muddy but passable, please bring sturdy shoes and a
water bottle. Families with older children are welcome! Unfortunately, there are no pets allowed at SERC.
Please RSVP to [email protected] to reserve a spot!
Landowner Meeting at Arlington Echo
Thursday, March 11, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
975 Indian Landing Road, Millersville, MD
March
Did you know that land protection agreements not only preserve land for future generations but also
greatly ease today’s tax burdens? Join Scenic River Land Trust representatives and professionals in the
land preservation field at Arlington Echo to learn more at this SRLT sponsored event. Light refreshments
will be served.
RSVP to [email protected] or call 410-424-4000
by Tuesday, March 9 to reserve your seat.
5th Annual Walk for the Woods
Saturday, April 17
Bird Walks start at 7:00am, Walks/Hikes start at 9:00am
On Marbury Road off Crownsville Road. Follow signs to parking and trail head
Rain Date: Sunday, April 18
April
Come explore the streams, ponds, meadows and woodlands of Bacon Ridge Branch Natural Area at the
5th annual “Walk for the Woods”. Bacon Ridge Branch Natural Area is a 546 acre protected property in
Crownsville that will become part of the Anne Arundel County park system and be permanently protected
though easements held by Scenic Rivers Land Trust and The Maryland Environmental Trust.
No entrance fee but donations are greatly appreciated! Funds raised for SRLT will be doubled in value at
this year’s walk through a generous matching grant by the Biophilia Foundation.
Visit www.SRLT.org for more information and a complete list of walks and hikes.
Questions about “Walk for the Woods”? Call 443-597-0063 or email [email protected].
May
Family Nature Hike
Sunday, May 16, 12pm
visit www.SRLT.org
More details to follow soon!
Scenic Rivers Land Trust
P. O. Box 2008
Annapolis, MD 21404-2008
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Annapolis, MD
Permit # 269
SRLT Welcomes Your Support
Scenic Rivers Land Trust works with landowners and other partners to preserve
natural and scenic areas of Anne Arundel County. This work is accomplished through
landowner education, and by holding and facilitating land protection agreements.
Land, they don’t make it anymore. —Will Rodgers
Printed on recycled paper
Please mail your tax deductible contribution to Scenic Rivers
Land Trust, P.O. Box 2008, Annapolis, MD 21404 or visit our
website at www.SRLT.org to donate using PayPal or credit
card or call us directly on (410) 424-4000. Your donation will
be matched 1:1 by the Biophilia Foundation.