American Chestnut Land Trust

a land conservancy

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Home / About Us / ACLT Press Kit

Overview of American Chestnut Land Trust

ACLT seeks to connect people to the land by providing free access to 24 miles of trails across a 3,400 acre preserve, guided canoe trips on the beautiful Parkers Creek, and regenerative farming donations that benefit a local food pantry. ACLT is dedicated to land conservation and to the community. 

Brief History

ACLT began when a group of Calvert County residents purchased a parcel of land in order to prevent the development of farming and forested landscapes surrounding their community. The first property ACLT purchased was home to a lone chestnut tree which survived the chestnut blight of the 1900s, thus inspiring the organization’s name. Since this initial purchase, ACLT has been expanding preservation efforts throughout the Parkers Creek and Governors Run watersheds in Calvert County, partnering with The Nature Conservancy and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The land trust agreed to undertake the long-term management of any properties acquired by The Nature Conservancy, and later, by the state.

What We Do

Double Oak Farm

  • Farming: ACLT maintains a one-acre sustainable farming operation, known as Double Oak Farm. With the help of devoted volunteers, our farm is able to be a source of organic, healthy food for those experiencing food insecurity in our community, as we donate 80% of our harvest to the local food pantry. Double Oak Farm also aims to educate visitors by demonstrating different regenerative and sustainable farming techniques in our Educational and Demonstration Garden Experiment.

Land Management and Habitat Improvement

  • Birds, Mammals and Fish: ACLT is currently conducting a comprehensive survey of bird and fish populations to better inform our habitat support and improvement programs (Spring 2017). The National Audubon Society deemed the Parkers Creek Watershed an “Important Bird Area” for statewide conservation and describes the it as “the most diverse relatively undisturbed multi-ecosystem left on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.”
  • Forest: Working with our Science Committee, we’re designing a method of taking inventory of our forest species diversity and monitoring how they change over time. Forests types include old growth, dry upland, coastal plain, mesic mixed hardwood and wetland. Plant life is bountiful and varied including several endangered species.
  • Insects, Reptiles and Amphibians: Because of the large forested areas around vernal pools, a wide variety of these species thrive in the Parkers Creek Watershed including several notable rare and endangered species.
  • Water Quality Monitoring: For more than 20 years ACLT has continually sampled the waters of Parkers Creek to ensure its health. Currently, the watershed exceeds all standards set for the county and is one of the healthiest in the region.

Outreach & Membership

  • Outreach: To help implement ACLT’s Mission to “promote land conservation and preservation throughout Southern Maryland, ACLT operates a robust outreach program to involve the local community in our many programs and activities.
  • Events: As part of its outreach program, ACLT offers public events throughout the year. In addition to events hosted by ACLT, volunteers represent ACLT at numerous off-site events (e.g., Patuxent River Appreciation Days, Green Expo, etc.).
  • Membership: ACLT is a member-supported nonprofit and offers several benefits for members only, such as free canoe trips, advance registration to events, and monthly full moon hikes. As of the end of 2021, there were over 800 member families.

Volunteer Programs

  • Volunteers: ACLT would be nothing without its extremely active corps of volunteers. Two different crews gather weekly to work on maintenance of all trails, buildings, equipment, etc. Volunteers also serve on ACLT’s numerous commitees and help with events, canoe trips, etc.
  • Maryland Master Naturalists Class: A “Master Naturalist” is a citizen scientist who is dedicated to the care and conservation of Maryland’s natural environment.  Certified Master Naturalists share their knowledge with the community through guided hikes and canoe trips, create and improve habitat for wildlife, work with scientists to monitor the health of our land and waterways, find and help remove invasive species that are damaging our native plants, etc. Part of the state-wide program, ACLT’s Master Naturalist class is held yearly from February to June.

ACLT in Numbers

American Chestnut Land Trust has preserved over 3,500 acres in Calvert County, Maryland. ACLT owns nearly 1,400 acres, manages 1,800 acres owned by the State of Maryland, and holds conservation easements on 374 privately-owned acres. These properties are also known as the Parkers Creek Preserve.

Resources

  • Recent reports and publications
  • Quarterly Newsletter
  • Calendar of Events

Media

All ACLT Photos Holly Hill

Recent Blog Posts

Remembering Executive Director Greg Bowen

April 16, 2025 No Comments

Photo Credit: Harp, Dave “Calvert County holding the line on reducing new growth”, Bay Journal, Oct 2013 – bit.ly/bay-journal-article ACLT Watershed Observer Dedicated to Greg

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Reflections from the 2025 “Taking Nature Black” Conference

April 10, 2025 No Comments

By Devon Burke, CCC Corps Member On March 8th, 2025, three members of the ACLT community attended Nature Forward’s annual Taking Nature Black conference in

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Spring’s Ephemeral Invaders

April 1, 2025 93 Comments

By Addie Brown, 2025 CCC Corps Member Invasive species pose a significant threat to ecosystem biodiversity and health, and ACLT has been dedicated to addressing

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OSPREYS – “FISH HAWKS” EXTRAORDINAIRE!

March 28, 2025 35 Comments

By Judy Ferris, Master Naturalist & Guest Blogger The Ospreys have returned to the Chesapeake Bay! Newly arrived from Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and South

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Cedar Waxwings – Mother Nature’s Berry Recyclers

February 20, 2025 415 Comments

By Judy Ferris, Master Naturalist & Guest Blogger Have you ever wondered where all of those Holly berries disappear to every winter?   Meet the Cedar

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What it Means to Be an ACLT Master Naturalist

January 17, 2025 442 Comments
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Contact Our Team

Greg-300x297

Greg Bowen

Executive Diorector
gbowen@acltweb.org

Autumn-241x300

Autumn Phillips-Lewis

Land Manager
landmanager@acltweb.org

Miriam-221x300

Miriam Gholl

Community Relations Manager
miriam@acltweb.org

Janel-225x300

Janel Young

Office Coordinator
info@acltweb.org

ACLT Office Phone

(410) 414-3400

Mailing Address

American Chestnut Land Trust
P.O. Box 2363
Prince Frederick, MD 20678

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