panorama
Panorama: an unobstructed or complete view of a region in every direction
Winter 2014- 2015
Fry Family Farm easement preserves
farm and farming operations
EASTERN SHORE
LAND CONSERVANCY
Our vision for 2050
is an Eastern Shore
where towns are vibrant
and well defined; farms,
forests, and fisheries
are thriving and scenic;
historic, natural, and
riverine landscapes
are maintained.
E
d and Marian Fry and their son Matt, and his wife Meg, are again
expanding operations on their dairy farm, 54 years after Ed’s father
first established the farm in Kent County.
The expansion is made possible with an easement by Eastern Shore
Land Conservancy and Maryland Environmental Trust.
Putting land under easement fulfilled a couple objectives for the
family, said Matt. The farming business and the land were owned by
different entities. A corporation owns the business, and a limited partnership consisting of extended family members not involved in the business
owned the land.
Selling a scenic conservation easement on the farm allowed Matt and
Meg buy the land. It also helped meet the vision his grandfather would have
laid out for the land – that it stay a working farm.
In the 1960s, Matt’s grandfather, Ed’s father, moved away from his dairy farm
in Montgomery County and started his farm in Kent County. Montgomery County 3 generations of Frys:
From left: Owen, Ed,
was growing, and he knew he would not be able to farm the way he wanted to
Marion, Meg and Matt.
for very long.
The sale was satisfying for extended family members, as well. Although they did not want to encumber the farm to pay for major building improvements for the farming operation, they did want farming to
continue on the land in the manner their grandfather intended. The easement allowed them to get their
value from the property and see the farm remain profitable.
“This is what we call the home farm here,” Marian said of the dairy and organic grain operation outside
of Chestertown.
Matt and Meg, both Virginia Tech graduates, settled in Kent County to farm. Matt has been farming
with his parents since 2007. He now manages the dairy herd and also participates in management decisions for the larger farm.
The Frys recently expanded the dairy herd. Now, 470 cows are milked three times a day. New construction and expansion of buildings helped modernize operations and increase capacity.
“The easement was the keystone in allowing that to happen,” said Ed Fry.
This multigenerational, diversified business includes three contiguous Kent County farms totaling 775
acres. Of that, 565 acres are protected in perpetuity. An organic alfalfa, hay, corn and soybean operation
continued on page 10
from the executive director
Definition from USDA:
Food Insecurity
Low food security:
(old label=Food insecurity
without hunger) reports
of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet.
Little or no indication of
reduced food intake.
Very low food security:
(old label=Food insecurity
with hunger) Reports of
multiple indications of
disrupted eating patterns
and reduced food intake.
Kids visiting ESLC’s
Sassafras Environmental
Education Center learn
about food production in
the garden.
2
Endangered Species
Preserving the bounty of the Shore
for the future generations.
Did you get a chance to enjoy any of the wonderful sweet corn this past summer? My
family and I love the delicately crisp kernels with a creamy sweetness - accented perfectly by butter and
Old Bay seasoning. Our tomatoes were a bit late – but big and bulging and savory as ever. Another
favorite of ours is early season asparagus – found treasures on the roadsides throughout the region.
And here it is almost November as I write this and we are knee-deep in kale, spinach and butternut
squash; some of my favorite fall tastes.
Back in the early 1990s, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy did a regional soil analysis and discovered what our local farmers already knew; that the Eastern Shore has the largest contiguous block of
prime farmland in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. We dubbed this enormous block of approximately
450,000 acres of prime farmland an “Agricultural Security Corridor.” Our wonderful growing season, our
unmatched soils, and our location within an overnight drive of about one third of American stomachs
combine to give us the critical ingredients for a food and farming powerhouse. This is truly the land of
pleasant living.
But are we stewarding this critical asset while also harnessing its tremendous potential? While
we have permanently protected more than a quarter of our rural lands and have good rural zoning,
Maryland is still losing about 20,000 acres of farmland per year according to the American Farmland
Trust. Our farmers are also getting older – much older – with an average age of 59 currently. And for
some reason here in this land of bounty we are the most “food insecure” people in Maryland and also
lead in diabetes and obesity rates according to Johns Hopkins University. Huh?
On November 20 ESLC held its 15th annual planning conference. Called “The Future of Eastern
Shore Agriculture,” the conference this year was designed to grapple with these difficult questions
about farming and nutrition and jobs and the Chesapeake Bay. While the results of that conference are
not known as I write this, it is clear to me that we should get a lot more creative and organized about
serving the fresh food and nutritional needs of the Mid-Atlantic megalopolis, we should support all of
our farmers in a collective effort to clean up the Bay, and we should do a much, much better job of
feeding our own people and connecting our farming to our communities.
I hope you enjoy the great abundance of this beautiful region on your table through a happy and
restful holiday season!
Panorama
at Grove Neck Girl Scout Camp
Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Protect
Threatened Puritan Tiger Beetle
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Maryland fund conservation easement on campground
E
astern Shore Land Conservancy this year helped protect
more than 170 acres on Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake
Bay’s Camp Grove Point in Earleville.
The property’s 2,200 feet of eroding cliffs at the mouth of
the Sassafras River provide unique habitat needed by the federally threatened Puritan tiger beetle, a creature smaller than the
tip of a fingernail yet a fierce predator in the insect world.
“We are taking a significant step forward in recovering the
Puritan tiger beetle, whose largest global population is found
in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland,” said Genevieve LaRouche,
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field
Office. “This partnership illustrates the important role of local
groups and landowners in the conservation of our rare native
wildlife.”
Every year, hundreds of Girl Scouts attend day and residential summer camps and participate in troop camping throughout the year.
“Good stewardship of our land is an important part of Girl
Scouting,” said Anne T. Hogan, CEO of Girl Scouts of Chesapeake
Bay.
“Rich with diverse wetlands and upland forests of oak,
tulip poplar, beech and hickory, the new easement will permanently protect the area’s sensitive ecosystem,” said Maryland
Department of Natural Resources Secretary Joe Gill. “By preserving this critical landscape we can help guarantee the future of
the Puritan tiger beetle, as well as … osprey, eagle, deer, fox
and many migratory songbirds.”
Permanent protection of this land will help meet
one of the federal criteria required for recovery of this
species—to stabilize six large sub-populations and their
habitats in the Chesapeake Bay. With the protections
on the Girl Scout property, four sub-populations will
be protected in Maryland.
“Preservation of this property not only means
protection of a unique ecological site,” said
Jared Parks, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Land Protection Specialist. “It preserves a
place where generations of girls can go
to explore the outdoors and learn about
nature with a great organization devoted
to building character and strength.”
Winter 2014-2015
Development and stabilization projects are the most serious threats to this species. Puritan tiger beetles undergo their
entire life cycle on or near cliffs and adjacent sandy beaches,
and require some cliff erosion to maintain suitable, unvegetated
habitat. Shoreline stabilization minimizes erosion at the base of
the bluff, over time making the slopes less steep and allowing
vegetation to grow.
This project was made possible through the partnership of
ESLC, Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland DNR Program
Open Space, and USFWS Chesapeake Bay Field Office. Funding
was provided through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Recovery Grant Program and Maryland’s Program Open Space
funds.
Landowners and managers play a vital role in conserving
our nation’s wildlife. Most threatened and endangered species
depend at least in part on private and other non-federal lands.
The Endangered Species Act is not only a critical safety net for
America’s native fish, wildlife and plants, but it also provides
tools for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover
imperiled species.
Last year, ESLC and Maryland Environmental Trust placed
an easement on a nearby Kent County property that also is
home to the endangered beetle.
3
E S LC D o n o r s
Our supporters make all the difference
Financial Donors
Individual
Mr. and Mrs. John Akridge, III
Mr. & Mrs. James Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. David G. Anderson
Ms. Kathy M. Anderson, DVM
Mr. & Mrs. Steve S. Anderton
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Mr. Michael P. Anthony
Mr. & Mrs. C G Appleby
Mr. E. Briner Ashway
Mr. Charles R. Athey, Esq.
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Mr. & Mrs. Dan M. Calwell, IV
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John Campbell
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Mr. Charles Thomas Capute
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Carter, III
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Ms. Anne Keer Charles
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cleaver
Mayor Caroline S. Cline
Mr. and Mrs. Marc Clopper
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Mr. and Mrs. Louis Codispoti
Ms. Therese Collins
Mrs. Priscilla C. Cooper
Mr. Tom C. Corl
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Coulbourne
Ms. Joan Cox
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Mr. & Mrs. James L Crothers
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Mr. & Mrs. Olin Davis, III
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Rosario & Constance Del Nero
Edward L. Delaney
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Mr. & Mrs. Joseph G. Diamond
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Mr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Doherty
Mr. & Mrs. Adgate A Duer
Mr. & Mrs. Guy Edwards
Mr. Robert O. Eisinger
Mr. Robert O. Eisinger
Ms. Jodi Griffith Elliott
Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Elsberg
Jan Elvin
Mr. & Mrs. Harry M. Ensor
Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Etgen
Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Evans
Mr. & Mrs. Clint Evans
Ms. Agnes Everly
Mr. & Mrs. J. Robert Faulkner
Mr. & Mrs. John Fischer
Mr. Mike Fleagle
Ms. Rebecca L. Flora
Mr. W. Thomas Fountain
Ms. Joanne R. Fox
Volunteer Spotlight
Vanessa Goold, a fairly new addition to the Eastern
Shore, is also a new Eastern Shore Land Conservancy volunteer.
She came to ESLC just before our 2014 training and has been
monitoring preserved properties, something we are required to
do for each protected property annually. ESLC relies heavily on
volunteers to help us accomplish this.
Vanessa looks forward to supporting the Eastern Shore
Conservation Center as we begin landscaping and programming
plans.
Vanessa and her husband moved from New Hampshire
to the Eastern Shore in 2012. Long New England winters and
siblings in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., were motivators to
come to this area.
“We want to live someplace where leaves are on the tree
longer than they are off the tree,” Vanessa said.
The couple purchased a Talbot County waterfront property that was a former farm. Building the site required them to
establish a buffer management plan, the guidelines for which are
determined by Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and
the Critical Area Commission.
Vanessa personally undertook the establishment of their
100-foot buffer, including planting 600 trees ranging from 1”
diameter down to saplings, and long-term care of the plants. She
learned a lot about proper tree planting, including how to water
4
600 trees and manage deer and other wildlife.
She started to volunteer with other organizations locally
and through that met avid ESLC volunteer Mary Ann Ray, who
recommended Vanessa become a volunteer land steward for
ESLC. Thanks to Mary Ann, we have another avid volunteer.
Vanessa loves to read. Recently, she read Wye Island:
Insiders, Outsiders and Change in a Chesapeake Community,
and found it fascinating. Other books she recommends
include Flying Blind: One Man’s Adventures Battling
Buckthorn, Making Peace with Authority, and Creating a
Home for Endangered Bats by Don Mitchell, and writings by
Cheryl Strayed and Wendell Berry.
Panorama
Ms. Laurie Frame
Mr. James J. Fratino
Ms. Christine Frederick
Mr. & Mrs. Martin Free
Mr. & Mrs. Howard S. Freedlander
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Fuguet
Mr. Gus Gartner
Ms. Doreen C. Getsinger
Mr. & Mrs. Alan Girard
Mr. & Mrs. James Goodyear
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Griffith
Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Haddaway
Ms. Kristin A. Hagert
Mr. Homan F. Hallock
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Halloran
Mr. & Mrs. James Halvis
Mr. Steven T. Hamblin
Mr. Michael R. Hardesty
Ms. Lana W. Harding
Mr. & Mrs. David Harper
Mr. & Mrs. Tony S. Harrington
Mr. & Mrs. Jerrold B. Harris
Mr. Michael M. Hash
Mr. Christian Havemeyer
Mr. & Mrs. Loring Hawes
Ms. Barbara Z. Heatly
Ms. Jeanne Bosse Hechmer
Mr. Benjamin G. Heilman
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Herbert
Mr. & Mrs. Francis Hickman
Ms. Anneliese Hoffmann
Mr. Jerry Hook
Mr. & Mrs. Alexander H. Hoon
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Porter Hopkins
Ms. Deborah Horn
Mr. Hugh Horning
Mr. Thomas W. Horton
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Howard
Martha Reid Hudson
Dr. & Mrs. Howard C. Hughes
Ms. Mary Lu Hughes
Ms. Anita S. Hulo
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Hummel
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hynson, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Jon E. Ingersoll
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Isaacson
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Jana
Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Janson
Dr. Bayly E. Janson-La Palme
Mr. & Mrs. William W. Jeanes, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph R. Jelich
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Edward Jesilionis
Dr. Katherine E. Johnson
Mr. Charles Jolly
Mr. David A. Jones
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy D. Junkin
Ms. Sylvan Kaufman
Mr. Michael Kern
Mr. William D Killen, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Robert C. Kingsbury
Mr. Douglas Kliever
Dr. and Mrs. Ronald L. Klimes
Mr. and Mrs. Marion H. Klingler
Ms. Judith A. Knight
Mr. George Kreshock
Mr. & Mrs. Clarence I. Kuntz
Ms. Michele La Rocca
Winter 2014-2015
Mr. Stephen Labash
Mr. C. Clay Larrimore
Ms. Cynthia Lauster
Dr. & Mrs. Rod Layton
Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Leaver
Ms. Jenny Lee
Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Leigh
Ms. Eva Mae Leight
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Lewis
Mr. James Lewis
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Liccione
Ms. Catherine J. Liebl
Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. MacLeod
Mr. & Mrs. James Maddox
Ms. Anne Magor
Dr. & Mrs. Erney Maher
Mr. & Mrs. Roger Mainster
Mrs. Alvin J. Major, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Makosky
Mr. Rollin Marquis
Mr. & Mrs. Edmond L. Marroni
Mr. & Mrs. Warren Marton
Ms. Elizabeth Matthews
Mr. Davy H. McCall
Mr. & Mrs. Howard McCoy
Mr. Edward T. McMahon
Mr. James C. Merida
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Millar
Ms. Leann Miller
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth M. Miller
Mr. & Mrs. Peter E. Misiaszek
Ms. Frances H. Moffitt
Wendy L. Moon
Mr. & Mrs. John Moore
Mr. & Mrs. Clement C. Moore
Ms. Lisa Morgan
Mr. James Ted Mueller
Mr. James T. Mullin
Ms. M. Kathleen Murphy
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Murphy
Mr. & Mrs. John Murray
Mrs. Faye H. Nave
Ms. Nancy Neely
Ms. Linda B. Nelson
Ms. Virginia S. Newlin
Ms. Anna C. Ossler
Mr. Richard W. Owen
Ms. Gail Owings
Ms. Barbara Paca
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Packard
Mr. & Mrs. Philip P. W. Parish
Honorable & Mrs. Floyd Parks
Ms. Meg Parry
Mr. & Mrs. John Passarotti
Ms. Katharine Peeling
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Petty, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. G. Steele Phillips
Reverand Nathaniel W. Pierce
Ms. Faye Councell Polillo
Mr. Mehran Pooya
Mr. & Mrs. M. Wendell Poppy
Mr. & Mrs. Don Potter
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Preston
Mr. & Mrs. Seth Price
Ms. Caroline duPont Prickett
Mrs. Elizabeth B. Pupke
Ms. Joyce Purcell
Mr. & Mrs. Donald A. Pusey
Mr. & Mrs. David Pyles
Ms. Cynthia V.C. Ramsey
Ms. Sarah H. Ramsey
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Ravenal
Mr. & Mrs. Paul W. Ray
Mr. Robert A. Reed
Mr. & Mrs. James Reed
Mr. & Mrs. Austin Reed
Ms. Vara Reeser
Mr. & Mrs. William U. Reybold, III
Ms. Sue Ricciardi
Dr. and Mrs. William F. Rienhoff, III
Ms. Amy Robins
Ms. Marie G. Robinson
Ms. Merle Rockwell
Mr. Donald P Ruhl
Mr. & Mrs. William Russell, Jr.
Ms. Diana G Sable
Mr. & Mrs. David Satterfield
Mr. and Mrs. B. Francis Saul, II
Ms. Cynthia B. Saunders
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Scanlon
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Scheeler
Ms. Cathy Scheiner
Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Schroth
Mrs. Jane H. Scott
Dr. Michael S. Scott
Mr. & Mrs. David Segermark
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. Selden
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sharkey
Ms. Mary D. Sharp
Mr. & Mrs. Frederic Sherriff
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Shettle
Mr. & Mrs. William P. Short, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Donald P. Shuck
Ms. Abby Siegel
Mr. & Mrs. Jerrald K. Simmers
Mr. & Mrs. Walter J. Simmons
Ms. Cyndi A. Slacum
Mr. Edgar A. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Donald Speakman
Mr. David Spear
Ms. Hilary B. Spence
Mr. Milford H. Sprecher
Mr. Thomas O. Stanley
Dr. and Mrs. Frank Starr
Mr. Russel Steffy
Ms. Susan Jackson Stein
Mr. Peter B. Stifel
Mr. Richard C. Swanson
Ms. Ruth Sylvia
Mr. & Mrs. Alfred H. Taylor, Jr.
Ms. Jane C. Teichner
Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Thieler, III
Mr. Dwaine M. Thomas
Mrs. W. Stuart Thompson, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Tilghman, Jr.
Mr. Benjamin C. Tilghman
Mr. & Mrs. Matthew W. Tobriner
Mr. & Mrs. Larry W. Tolliver
Mrs. Aileen B. Train
Ms. Bethany A. Tuthill
Mr. Alfred Tyler, II
Mr. & Mrs. G. Robert Tyson
Mr. & Mrs. John Unkovic
Mr. & Mrs. William F.H. U’ren
Ms. Ellen Uzelac
Mr. & Mrs. John Vail
Mr. Gary B. Van Reed
Mr. & Mrs. Alan F Van Winkle
Ms. Dawn L. Vangrin
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Vogelman
Ms. Suzanne Wagner
Dr. Lucy R. Waletzky
Mr. Bruce A. Wallace
Mr. & Mrs. Watson Warriner
Mr. Clayton Warrington
Mr. John Waterston
Mr. & Mrs. Reed A. Watkins
Ms. Diana K. Weatherby
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Webster
Ms. Pamela Weeks
Ms. Diane West
Ms. Kathleen White
Mrs. Louise S. Widdup
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Wilkins
Ms. Jean Wilson
Mr. & Mrs. William Winterer
Mrs. Mary D. Wood
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Worrall
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Wright
Mrs. Roslyn D. Young, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Sanford T. Young
Mr. & Mrs. John Yowell
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Zablotny
Ms. Louisa P. Zeh
Foundation
Baird Foundation, Inc
Brown Advisory Charitable Foundation Inc.
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Dorothy Metcalf Charitable Foundation
EarthShare
Grayce B. Kerr Fund, Inc.
Keith Campbell Foundation for the
Environment
Maryland Charity Campaign
MidShore Community Foundation
Seraph Foundation
Shared Earth Foundation
Starkey Foundation
Town Creek Foundation
United Way of Coastal Empire
Corporate
Annapolis Subaru
Atelier 11, Ltd
Avon-Dixon Agency, LLC
Charles Capute, LLC
Cross Street Partners LLC
Dissen & Juhn, LLC
DLA Piper, LLP
Easton Bank & Trust Co.
Fair Hill Farms, Inc.
IBM Corporation
Kent Island American Legion Post 278
Morgan Stanley
T. L. Daniels Inc.
The Kinder Garden LLC
The Talbot Bank
Tudor Farms, Inc.
5
Thank you!
Ecology curriculum workshop
in photos
Teachers develop agroecology curriculum at SEEC
Party
to
Preserve
T
his past summer, Kent County Public Schools teachers met with environmental
educators and local experts at ESLC’s Sassafras Environmental Education Center
(SEEC) in Kennedyville.
The workgroup gathered twice to begin developing a cohesive, unified delivery
system for Maryland’s Environmental Literacy Standards (ELS) in Kent County schools.
Careful consideration of the required state and federal education standards, local
economies, and rich cultural and natural histories lead to the program theme of
Agro-ecology. Agro-ecology is a fairly recent notion that considers pieces of land and
natural resources as parts of a series of interrelated systems, instead of considering
them as individual entities.
Kent is an agriculturally robust community, composed of small towns surround
by farmland, tucked up against the northeast side of the Chesapeake Bay. The local
economy relies heavily on natural resources. Heavy use of the land and surrounding
waters pervade both the region’s past and future. Agro-Ecology provides a sturdy
framework for teaching environmental literacy standards, allowing teachers to
connect different subject areas and build knowledge with each grade level.
During the work sessions at SEEC, the group created a school-wide definition
for agro-ecology, as well as a series of connected lessons that will blend classroom
curriculum with annual field experiences. In addition to long hours spent cozied
around SEEC’s conference table on the third floor of Knocks Folly, the Agro-Ecology
Workgroup embraced SEEC’s teaching philosophies and got outside in the field and
used their hands as much as possible. Throughout the two sessions, they toured the
hiking trails, the student garden, stream restoration sites and historical buildings; they
paddled along the John Smith Trail on the Sassafras River to a tidal pond filled with
American Lotus; they cut bamboo from the forest and engineered fishing poles and
musical instruments.
The pilot program for this delivery system will begin this fall with visits to SEEC
from Kent County 7th and 10th grade students. Both groups of students participated
in a stream restoration project this past spring. The fall visits will be a continuation of
their spring experience.
Thank you for a rousing
good time and for making
this the most successful
Party to Preserve yet!
Teachable moments along the bluff trail to the
bamboo.
Local watermen rely on the health of natural
systems
Paddling along the Sassafras River.
A day in review.
6
Panorama
Winter 2014-2015
7
E S C C U p d at e
Breaking ground on a groundbreaking
concept for the Mid-Shore
Coastal Resilience:
EASTON – It has been an exciting year for the future
of conservation on the Eastern Shore, as we raise money
for and broke ground on the Eastern Shore Conservation
Center. We were joined in August by Gov. Martin O’Malley
for the groundbreaking ceremony in the courtyard of the
former McCord Building and Brick Row. The governor had
granted the project $1 million in his capital budget.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is introducing a new program to help Shore towns and
landowners prepare for sea level rise and associated risks.
Brian Ambrette, Coastal Resilience Specialist, joined ESLC in August.
He will work with Eastern Shore leaders to assess the risks associated with sea level rise and
to understand opportunities to plan resilience into their communities. Please visit our website,
www.eslc.org and select “Subscribe to our Newsletter” at the bottom of the page, or simply scan
the QR code below with your smart phone to sign up for Brian’s semi-monthly email, Resilience
Matters. In the spirit of our popular Morning Cup of Planning email, Resilience Matters will be a
roundup of news pertinent to Eastern Shore residents.
Following a passion for all things water-related, Brian has worked as a deckhand on traditional sailing schooners and as a coach and director at a nonprofit community rowing club.
Brian also worked with the Environmental Defense Fund in fundraising and with The Nature
Conservancy on conservation and planning tools for coastal resilience in Connecticut.
He has a special interest in combining community engagement with
coastal resource management, which he pursued earning a master’s degree
from Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. His
bachelor’s degree in physics and geology is from Middlebury College
in Vermont. Brian lives with his wife in Easton and can be found on the
roads and waters of the Eastern Shore training for triathlons.
Most recently, ESLC received a New Markets Tax
Credit, netting about $1.3 million for the Eastern Shore
Conservation Center renovations.
New Markets Tax Credits are federal tax credits for
investments in economic development projects and businesses in distressed neighborhoods.
“This credit is a huge step toward completing the
Eastern Shore Conservation Center,” said ESLC Executive
Director Rob Etgen. “And it reminds us of the heart of this
project – not only is it a conservation center, a place for
collaboration among organizations; it is a community center,
a place where people can gather for educational programming, or to relax with a cup of coffee. It’s an exciting time for
our organization and for conservation on Maryland’s Eastern
Shore.”
The former laundry warehouse was abandoned and in
disrepair when ESLC took ownership. Brick Row, damaged
by fire in late 2012, was donated to ESLC by Helaine White
of Easton.
Noticeable construction in this section of South
Washington Street began in early October.
We have raised about $6.3 million toward the $7.6
million needed to complete the project that will be headquarters for Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, as well as
office space for other conservation and community-based
nonprofits.
As we move forward on construction, we seek a tenant
for the café space that formerly was the commercial portion
of the McCord building. A café will serve to bring community members in from the town and partner nonprofits to
community space. In this way, coupled with community
meeting spaces, it will help this project be a community
conservation center.
Though currently abandoned, these two buildings
in Easton’s National Register Historic District are beautiful
examples of early 20th Century commercial architecture.
The project is designed to have a catalytic effect on the
South Washington Street corridor, where the renovation has
the ability to reenergize an important connection between
the northern and southern neighborhoods in Easton. What
is now vacant and lifeless will be a vibrant hub of community, conservation and learning.
Keeping the Eastern Shore Afloat
It will bring about 50 jobs to downtown Easton and will
serve as an example for conservationists, urban planning,
community design and redevelopment experts of what
can be done to retain healthy, walkable and economically
sustainable rural towns.
Visit www.eslc.org to subscribe to our enewsletter
for news that matters to the Shore.
8
Panorama
Winter 2014-2015
9
Winter scenes from a dairy
farm operation
Preserved Property Profile
Fry family farm continued from page 1
“…if the farmer is not sustainable, then the land
won’t be sustainable either.” – Ed Fry
The main farmhouse.
Dairy cows live in calf hutches for the first few
months of their lives.
accounts for about 600 acres. They also raise conventional crops to feed the dairy herd,
which is not organic.
They got into organic grain about 18 years ago when Ed Fry learned Horizon
organic dairy bought a farm he originally built in 1980. Their goal, he said, was to have a
500-head organic dairy farm in Kennedyville. Ed Fry saw an opportunity. Horizon was a
customer for many years, although they are not now.
“Both conventional farming and organic farming have advantages,” Marian said.
Conventional, no-till farming is good for the bay because it reduces runoff, but organic
farming requires less chemical treatment. Marian said the family often combines techniques as the land requires, and that helps them take advantage of the benefits of both
systems.
“We want our lands to be sustainable, because if not they are not going to have
farming on our open land in perpetuity,” said Ed Fry. “And the farm has to be sustainable because if the farmer is not sustainable, then the land won’t be sustainable either.”
Marian said it’s easy for people to become polarized on farming issues when they
are several generations removed from farming. They can forget the purpose is to grow
food.
“We are so fortunate in the country to have plenty of food and not to have famine
like other countries know,” she said. We have sustainability in every region of the country, so we are never relying on other countries.
Easements help ensure the opportunity to practice farming remains on the
Delmarva Peninsula, she said.
This easement was made possible with federal funds to preserve properties
along the Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway. Former Congressman Wayne
T. Gilchrest (now Director of ESLC’s Sassafras Environmental Education Center) worked
hard while he was in office to provide this funding. It is the sixth easement along the
byway, which includes portions of state routes 213 and 20 in Cecil, Kent, and Queen
Anne’s counties.
Three of four generations who have lived on this farm.
Containment pond for waste prevents run-off.
The conservation easement allowed the Fry
family to invest in infrastructure improvements.
10
Panorama
Paw Paw Cove: Living History
By Earl Hill
Twelve thousand years ago, Tilghman Island
was a ridge several hundred feet above the Susquehanna
River roaring with cascades of glacial melt. Humans were
there, and whether settled or just passing by, left a few
stone points and tools. When they were gone, the weather
reverted to a millennia of cold, called by archaeologists
the “Younger Dryas.” The area was covered by a thick layer
of wind-blown dust, the ocean rose, and the immense
canyon became the Chesapeake Bay. Erosion along the
shores exposed the layers, including the one that contained
evidence of early occupation by Clovis people.
Many years later, when Darrin Lowery was a young
man, he began collecting items lying on the beach of his
family’s property at Paw Paw Cove. Upon seeing a television
program about their ancient origin, he and his father took
the “lithics” to a meeting with Dr. Dennis Stanford at the
Smithsonian Institution. Their land became the easternmost
location for investigation of what were then thought to be
the earliest occupants of North America.
Since then, evidence of even older humans has been
discovered at many locations; some found by Lowery (now
a geologist) along the shores of the Chesapeake. The book
Across Atlantic Ice (2012) by Dr. Stanford and Dr. Bradley
details Lowery’s finds and others that support their theory
of seaborne hunters crossing to these shores from France
before 22,000 BC.
In another line of investigation, scientists have been
trying to determine what caused the “black layer” which
lies just above all known finds of Clovis occupation. At sites
in our West, the layer is so thick it is called a “mat,” and
contains material which might have come from forest fires,
fungus growth and other sources. The lowest point is a
thin layer with magnetic particles and microscopic forms of
carbon described as ‘microspherules’ and ‘nanodiamonds.’
The thin layer exists at Paw Paw, and it has been sampled
for scientific papers seeking to confirm or reject the theory
that only the heat and pressure of a extraterrestrial impact
(comet or meteor) could have created the tiny bits. The layer
is called the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB), and it marks
the upper point where evidence of Clovis is found. The YDB
also marks the last appearances of more than thirty species
of North American ‘megafauna.’ Examples of these large
mammals are the saber tooth tiger, mammoths, camels and
ground sloths.
Winter 2014-2015
Darrin Lowery displays the black layer at Paw Paw Cove.
A recent PNAS*paper with arguments on fine points
of chemistry and molecular behavior seem to confirm that
something drastic occurred, leaving the black layer of impact
debris over the U.S. and parts of Europe. Earl Hill, retired
engineer, collected his own samples on both shores of the
Bay and a sand pit in Sussex County, but had not yet found
an undisturbed slice of the layer. Learning the Paw Paw
stretch of shoreline was not covered by rocks, he contacted
ESLC. Stewardship Manager Megan D’Arcy led the way on
a path through the tall Phragmites to the water’s edge for
another try at particle collection. The sloping beach with
washed up sand did not end the search, but provided a
memorable hike into Paw Paw Cove. More of its long history
remains to be revealed.
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, working with dedicated community members, in 2004 purchased the 10-acre
Paw Paw Cove site, located on Tilghman Island, because
of its archeological significance. The preserve was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in December 2009.
Due to the sensitive nature of the site and the rough terrain,
public access is limited.
* Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America; Malcolm A. LeCompte et al; September
17, 2012 (on-line)
11
ESLC Board
of Directors
Caroline County
Jim Lewis
John Schmidt
P.O. Box 169
Queenstown MD 21658-0169
Cecil County
Allaire Hummel
William Jeanes
James T. Mullin, Treasurer
Jack Sentman
Dorchester County
Caroline Cline
Libby Nagel
Richard Willey
Kent County
Charles Athey, Secretary
Joe Hickman, Vice President
John Moag
Gail Owings
Jane Scott
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. Postage Paid
Easton, MD
Permit #144
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Panorama is published
by Eastern Shore Land
Conservancy. Materials may
not be used without
permission. For information
or reprint permission, please
call 410.827.9756 or email
spearce@eslc.org.
Queen Anne’s County
Dave Dunmyer
Austin Reed
Mark Sultenfuss
Benjamin Tilghman, President
John Wilson
Talbot County
C. G. Appleby
Bruce Armistead
Howard Freedlander
Mike Halloran
Charles Petty
Phil Webster
Advisory
Committee
John E. “Chip” Akridge, III
Russ Brinsfield
Louisa C. Duemling
Hon. Harry Hughes
Hon. John C. North II
B. Francis Saul
Staff
Robert J. Etgen,
Executive Director
Amy Owsley,
Deputy Director
Brian Ambrette
Jaime Belanger
Megan D’Arcy
Carmen Farmer
Wayne Gilchrest
Deborah Halvis
Josh Hastings
Jennifer Matthews
Jared Parks
Katie Parks
Sarah Pearce
Jackie Potter
Laura Sanford
Carin Starr
Lisa Trice
Layout of Panorama by
EC Fisher Design
Printed
locally on
recycled
paper.
Since 1990, ESLC has helped to preserve more than 56,000 acres on 294 properties.
Donor Spotlight
Jim and Lucy Maddox were longtime
supporters of conservation organizations long before
they moved to Chestertown.
Both avid birders, the university professors
frequently made trips to the Eastern Shore from
their Washington, D.C., home. They nearly always
went south on U.S. Route 50 for Chincoteague or
Assateague until “one fine day we said, ‘we wonder
what’s up north,’” said Lucy Maddox.
Chestertown appealed to them, and they bought
a house there, where they moved upon retirement in
2009.
Moving here, they wanted to find an organization
doing local conservation work, and their neighbor,
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy Board Member Jane
Scott, knew just where to direct them.
They have always supported organizations they
thought used their funding well, and among their
favorite causes is conservation.
Jim Maddox said they both grew up with a great
love for the natural world and recognized “a nonstop
crisis involving wilderness, involving wetlands.”
The small towns of the Eastern Shore also appeal
to them, especially Lucy, a historian. Keeping them
going is important, she said, because there is a lot of
interesting history and architecture that are part of
what makes the Shore so appealing.
“We find the Eastern Shore such a unique
place,” Jim said. He cannot think of another place
with many towns surrounded by farms within
ninety minutes of large cities such as Washington,
Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
“This string of towns on the Eastern Shore
seems very strong, and we’re very fond of them,”
Jim Maddox said.
They also enjoy the community of people
involved with Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and
said they enjoy spending time with those involved.
“We’ve both felt lucky in life,” Lucy Maddox
said. “Life has been good to us, and the desire to
make life better for others has been strong in us.”