Forever Maryland is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing land conservation statewide through education, advocacy, and outreach. The organization underwent several transitions over the past year, but that did not keep it from hosting an invigorating Maryland Land Conservation Conference in Annapolis earlier this month. This year’s edition was centered around the theme “Changing the Future, Now!”
Working at an environmental organization can feel daunting at times, especially when dire headlines about the effects of climate change, suburban sprawl, and species loss dominate headlines on a daily basis. This year’s conference focused on breaking down these overwhelming challenges into actions and opportunities where land preservation can play a key role. Talks and panels discussed ways that landowners, community leaders, governments, and others can utilize land conservation to help transform communities for the better.
Given that NeighborSpace’s mission is to enhance the livability of urban communities, and considering the small scale on which we work, this theme resonated with me. Conference impressions always take some time to percolate, but here are a few key takeaways that I plan to incorporate into NeighborSpace’s work:
- The keynote speech was delivered by Elise Joshi, Executive Director of Gen-Z for Change. Her passion and energy alone are an inspiration, but Ms. Joshi also had some practical tips on how to diversify the land conservation movement, which is overwhelmingly White and – judging by the conference audience – over 40. (This is based on the 2022 Land Trust Salaries and Benefits Survey: Summary Report, Land Trust Alliance: Table 17: 95% of land trust Executive Directors identify as White.) Messaging is important! Since today’s young people are already very much aware of the threat of climate change, Ms. Joshi advises that land trusts focus on actionable items rather than spreading more “doom and gloom”, and that we demonstrate how land conservation can help address other issues such as housing, clean energy, the effects of climate change, etc. Ms. Joshi also reminded the audience that if we wish to engage more younger folks, we need to be flexible when we schedule meeting and event times and in the communication channels we use. Stay tuned for NeighborSpace’s first TikTok video…
- In a fast-paced but visually rich presentation, four Maryland land trusts shared how they are going beyond “just” conservation to address local environmental challenges. Gunpowder Valley Conservancy spoke about its Clear Creeks project, which it started 10 years ago with the goal of improving water quality in the Gunpowder watershed. More than 7,000 volunteers have since contributed to the initiative through educational workshops, stream clean-ups, tree plantings, and the installation of rain gardens and rain barrels. Eastern Shore Land Conservancy shared how it actively stewards its land to bring back wildlife habitat and how fire is an essential part of that strategy. Our city neighbor Baltimore Green Space gave a detailed overview of its forest stewardship program and shared statistics on the benefits of active stewardship and the resulting healthy forests. Finally, Howard County Conservancy shared details on how it conserved its first easement on a “working” church’s property. Each of these four topics is something that I hope to incorporate in NeighborSpace’s work in the future and I will be looking to my colleagues to learn from their pilot projects. NeighborSpace’s 5-year Strategic Plan includes developing a more robust (forest) stewardship model and a set of metrics to consistently collect data on site performance. We already incorporate stormwater management BMPs and wildlife habitat into park designs, but it is my hope that we are able to build capacity in the next few years so that we can cast a wider net and roll out such efforts on a residential or neighborhood level.
- I chose to attend the breakout session “Healing Communities through Greenspace”, which featured presentations by Arica Gonzales and Nature Sacred.
Nature Sacred is a non-profit organization that creates green space in urban environments with a focus on the “healing power of contemplative, nearby nature”. The organization’s processes and goals mirror those of NeighborSpace and it has installed close to 30 spaces in the Baltimore area so far. Arica Gonzales is the Executive Director of The Urban Oasis, an organization started in 2015 by residents of Baltimore’s Panway community in an effort to address issues of blight, drug dealing, and dumping that had affected both the physical environment as well as the social and emotional culture of the neighborhood. The community has successfully transformed a neglected alley into a welcoming garden and gathering space, complete with decorative gates and fairy lights, and cleaned up a vacant lot to become a neat green space with a seating area and a podium large enough to host the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra! An enthusiastic team of neighborhood teens picks up trash, mows lawns, plants gardens, and has built benches and planters. Ms. Gonzalez’ story is a beautiful reminder of the power of community.
For me, the value of NeighborSpace’s work and of attending gatherings such as this conference was summed up well by a comment that Andrew Bowman, President and CEO of the Land Trust Alliance, made during the keynote panel. I’ll paraphrase it loosely here:
“The strength of the land conservation community lies in its diversity of missions, in all the different reasons why we conserve. Lead with what you are passionate about, with what your community needs. In the end, it’s all about the people.”