ACLT Mission

The American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT) preserves and conserves the natural and cultural resources of the Parkers Creek and Governors Run Watersheds for the benefit of this and future generations. We provide environmentally sustainable public access to managed properties for educational, scientific, recreational, and cultural purposes. We promote land conservation and preservation throughout  Southern Maryland. Read more in the 2024-2028 5-Year Strategic Plan.

History of ACLT

The American Chestnut Land Trust, established in 1986, was at the forefront of a new grassroots land conservation movement, as reported in November 1988, by National Geographic magazine:

“Citizens Join Together to Save Their Environment
When residents of Scientists Cliffs, Maryland, heard that forests and abandoned farms surrounding their homes were to be sold, possibly to developers, they bought the land. A tract of 436 wooded acres near the Chesapeake Bay became the American Chestnut Land Trust.” Read the full article here.

ACLT’s charter members named their fledgling organization after a one-time giant of the eastern United States hardwood forest, the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) because the Maryland State Champion surviving American Chestnut tree resided on the 436-acre “Gravatt” property which was the ACLT’s first acquisition.

These individuals hoped that by preserving this small piece of forest, they could preserve something of the “scenic, natural and historic” sites in Calvert County from the tremendous development pressure of nearby Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Since its founding, the ACLT has greatly expanded its land preservation vision beyond the initial property. In the 1990’s the land trust partnered with The Nature Conservancy and the 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. At the present time, ACLT directly manages about 3,000 acres in the Parkers Creek and adjacent Governors Run watersheds. Over 4,000 acres, in total, have been preserved in these two watersheds since ACLT’s founding.

ACLT’s Land Acknowledgement Statement & Pledge
Adopted November 18, 2023

ACLT acknowledges that the land it stewards, including the Parkers Creek and Governors Run watersheds, is the ancestral home of the Peoples of the Piscataway Confederacy and other Indigenous People. Further, we recognize the people of African descent, enslaved and free, who once worked on or owned the farms, the land of which is now stewarded by ACLT. We recognize the contributions made by these displaced and enslaved peoples in the face of injustice and inequity and acknowledge our obligation to maintain the land and educate the public in such a way that their spirit and heritage are not forgotten.

Accordingly, ACLT pledges to continue its fundamental mission of connecting all people to the land by providing equitable and inclusive access to the lands we steward, through ongoing research and education about the land’s inhabitants and their history, and through outreach to all, particularly those most affected by societal inequities. As a leader in land conservation and preservation, we strive by example to foster a feeling of belonging to this region and at ACLT for all its diverse communities with the hope of a more equitable and sustainable future in Nature for all.

Want to get involved with and support ACLT? Click here to learn the many ways you can.