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Scenic Rivers Land Trust Newsletter, May 2019

Protecting Anne Arundel County's Land and Water for 30 Years!

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Volunteers Needed for 2019 Stewardship Visits

Join us for training on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 Scenic Rivers relies on volunteer stewards to help us conduct annual monitoring visits and reporting for our 66 conservation easements. These site visits and reports are a critical component to our commitment to the properties under easement with Scenic Rivers. Volunteers typically complete 2 to 5 site visits over the course of several months. You choose your commitment level. New volunteers must attend the annual orientation and training event which will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 6 pm at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Annapolis. Returning volunteers should plan to attend to receive your property assignments or coordinate with Sarah Knebel for a separate time. To volunteer and register for the training event, email Sarah Knebel, Conservation Director, at  Sarah@srlt.org  or call 410-980-6837.

Email Sarah to Register

Can You Pick Two Green Groups to Donate to from the 10 GreenGive Partners? It’s not going to be easy! But that’s what we're asking you to do. We’re encouraging supporters to get ready for GreenGive , a day of online giving starting on May 28 at 5 p.m. through May 29 at 5 p.m., by learning more about all 10 GreenGive Partners. Then, become a force for greener good in Anne Arundel County by picking not one, but two organizations to support during GreenGive. Remember, an investment in one group lifts all the organizations. We know that working together will strengthen our effectiveness and expand our impact. An investment in two organizations doubles that impact. To learn more about the 10 GreenGive Partners, visit the participating organizations page at greengive.org . We need you to be a force for the greener good in Anne Arundel County by donating during GreenGive on May 28 - 29. New to the GreenGive? Find out more by visiting the GreenGive website and follow us on Facebook . You are invited! Join us at the GreenGive LIVE Kick Off Party on Tuesday, May 28th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Maryland Hall. Please register at the link below.

Register Now

14th Walk for the Woods Promotes the Value of Land Protection, Families Exploring the Outdoors

Annual day of guided hikes at the Bacon Ridge Natural Area attracts hundreds of area hikers; Scenic Rivers presented with executive citation by County Executive Steuart Pittman Scenic Rivers celebrated the 14th Walk for the Woods at the Bacon Ridge Natural Area in Crownsville on Saturday, April 27, 2019. The annual event promotes families exploring the outdoors and public access to the Bacon Ridge Natural Area, the county-owned property that is permanently protected from development by a conservation easement co-held by Scenic Rivers and Maryland Environmental Trust.  Over 300 participants, including families, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, turned out to explore the 900+ acre natural area on a variety of guided hikes, including bird watching, amphibian searches, archaeology, and naturalist hikes. Attendees also were encouraged to explore the 5+ miles of temporary trails on their own. County Executive Steuart Pittman attended the event to participate in the “Say My Name” remembrance ceremony, which is held annually in conjunction with the Walk for the Woods to honor the African-American patients interred in the Crownsville State Hospital Cemetery with only numbers to mark their graves.   Before the remembrance ceremony, Pittman presented Scenic Rivers with an executive citation in celebration of our contributions to the County’s ecological health and in honor of our 30th anniversary.   Read more and see photos from the day at the link below.

Read More

Save the Date! Scenic Rivers will host a "Conservation Celebration!" in October

Scenic Rivers is excited to announce that we will conclude our 30th anniversary year with a "Conservation Celebration!"—our first-ever fundraising gala—on Thursday, October 10, 2019, from 6 pm to 9 pm at The Bistro at South River in Edgewater, Maryland . Ticket sales and sponsorship opportunities will be available beginning in June 2019. Keep an eye out on our website and social media for more details!

Scenic Rivers Making an Impact in D.C.

Scenic Rivers' Conservation Director, Sarah Knebel, and Maryland Environmental Trust Board of Trustees Chair, Mary Burke, joined hundreds of other land trusts in D.C. last month for the  Land Trust Alliance's Advocacy Days . They met with our federal legislators (here they are waiting to see Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger ) to thank them for reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund , advocate for the protection of conservation funding, encourage pro-conservation legislation, and the protection of state tax credits for landowners who donate land or conservation easements. We are thankful for this opportunity and the support of the land trust community!

In the News Forging a greener future: Scenic Rivers Land Trust honors 30 years of conservation efforts. Rick Leader, Scenic Rivers' executive director, is optimistic about our next 30 years of conserving land in Anne Arundel County in this article in The Capital Gazette. A couple uprooted a 180-year-old oak. A judge ordered them to pay nearly $600,000. This story from The Washington Post details an unfortunate case in California where landowners willfully violated a conservation easement on their property, killing a heritage oak in the process. Multiple attempts by the California-based land trust to remedy the situation went unheeded and the landowners were ultimately held accountable by the courts. A Swiss philanthropist has donated $1 billion to save the Earth's wild lands and waters from destruction. Here's where the money is going. ICYMI: Check out this inspiring story from earlier this year via Business Insider. Our goal to conserve 2% of Anne Arundel County feels ambitious—he's aiming for 15% of the planet! New effort unites clean water and creative arts. Learn about the GreenGive's collaboration with Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in this article from Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

Thank you to our 2019 Walk for the Woods Sponsors!

Osprey Sponsors

Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation

Great Horned Owl Sponsors

Wood Duck Sponsors

Phyllis Saroff • Jennifer Troy

Carolina Chickadee Sponsors

Annapolitan Assisted Living • Arundel Rivers Federation • Champion Financial Planning Group • Gary Schneider, Long & Foster Real Estate • Renner & Renner LLC • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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