Saturday September 10th, appreciate the beauty of Ayers Creek and celebrate land conservation—a vital part of preserving the local ecosystem—at the Lower Shore Land Trust Community Conservation Day on Ayers Creek.
The $20 per adult fee includes a single or tandem kayak, steamed crabs, fried chicken, fresh sides, and Chesapeake Bay Farms ice cream. Take out a kayak and join in the paddle to Golden Quarter Farm, a centuries old property that is a prime example of the importance for protected land. (A photo of the property, left.)
Properties like Golden Quarter are essential to maintaining the fragile ecosystem of the Lower Shore. Local conservation groups like the Lower Shore Land Trust, and national programs like the Trust for Public Land—working together with landowners, determine which easement will be most beneficial to the property and it’s potential impact on the ecosystem. In layman’s terms, easements set the plan–deciding whether former agricultural land will now be used to support or create wetlands, or forested land used for timber will be replanted with additional species of trees and plants to support local wildlife. These easements assist property owners as well—providing them with funding to maintain their properties for these new purposes, in many cases enabling the land to remain within the family, as with Golden Quarter.
In other cases, these easements protect the property, and owners sell the land, making the formerly private areas beneficial to not only the ecosystem, but to the community a large. Just north of Golden Quarter on Ayers Creek, sits the former Adkins property, 442 acres of land mainly used for timber. Negotiated by the Trust for Public Land, the owners sold the property to Worcester County, and a CELCP (Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program) easement protects its usage. Maryland Coastal Bays is managing the land, and is working with a local citizens group to develop activities for public usage. In addition, the previously timbered land of primarily pine trees is being replanted with mixed forest species that will provide a vital habitat for wildlife.
Protected land like Golden Quarter and the Adkins property have enormous conservation value in terms of water quality, and sustaining wildlife. The replanted forest areas alone provide food and habitat for migrating birds. Each year neotropical songbirds that winter in South America travel up the coast, stopping along the Lower Shore to feed and in some cases, breed. If the forest areas were left in a depleted state, these species would unquestionably suffer.
The Lower Shore Land Trust, the sponsor of the Community Conservation Day on Ayers Creek, has assisted in preserving over 16,000 acres on 94 private properties throughout the Lower Eastern Shore, ensuring that future generations will be able to enjoy the land as it’s intended.
In discussing the Community Conservation Day on Ayers Creek, LSLT Executive Director Kate Patton, summed up the importance of the event.
“It’s a day to appreciate all of our volunteers and what they do for the Lower Shore. By involving the community, we hope to share what we do, and get out and appreciate the beautiful open space together. We live in a great area—let’s enjoy it.”
Tickets are $20 for crabs, chicken, sides and Chesapeake Bay Ice Cream. Kids 12 and under are free. RSVP to 410.641.4467 or find them on Facebook.
Additional information on the event here
For those seeking information on property conservation:
