ellen

ACLT Opens a New Hiking Trail

April 27, 2017 By ellen

Running from the end of the Parkers Creek Road trail on the North Side, across the creek, then winding a challenging 2 miles to Cemetery Lane on the South Side, ACLT’s new “North-South Trail” is a remarkable and fun addition to our trail system! See our complete trails map.

We’ve worked hard and are so excited to launch this new experience at the Parkers Creek Preserve! The trail has two features that make it particularly interesting:

–The Raft! ACLT volunteers and staff have spent months designing and building a safe and fun way to cross Parkers Creek. Safely climb aboard the raft and pull yourself and a few friends from one side to the other!

–It’s our toughest trail yet! We’re listing it as difficult to challenging.

Find the new “North-South Trail” on the map of ACLT’s 22 miles of self-guided hiking trails. You can view and download the trail map as a PDF file. The map of ACLT’s trails is also available at ACLT’s trailhead locations. Read more about exploring ACLTs land under the “Land and Maps” menu tab.

GET TO THE RAFT: The easiest way to get to the raft is to take Old Parkers Creek Rd Trail from North Side Trailhead. Check out the map with details here

Double Oak Farm in the News

April 24, 2017 By ellen

Autumn Phillips-Lewis, ACLT’s Land Manager, published an article about Double Oak Farm in the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) newsletter. Read this article about ACLT’s ‘Agriculture to Support the Community’ program online on page three of the Spring/Summer 2017 issue in MET’s newsletter archive.
To learn more about the farm, see the post “ACLT Plans to Farm for Food Banks“. Double Oak Farm is located at ACLT’s North Side Trail Head. Visit the farm during the 2nd Sunday Farmer’s Market during the summer months. Check dates and times on the Calendar of Events.

ACLT Announces Plans to Farm for Food Banks

January 20, 2016 By ellen

The Board and staff of the American Chestnut Land Trust is very pleased to announce that beginning this season (2016) its Double Oak Farm will be donating the vast majority of its produce to local food pantries. “This new effort is a powerful opportunity for all those involved to touch the lives of their neighbors in very concrete ways,” says Pat Griffin, ACLT’s Board President.

For the past five years, the American Chestnut Land Trust, a leading voice for land conservation in Calvert County, has produced crops on its preserved land off of Double Oak Rd in Prince Frederick, Maryland. The property which was acquired by the land trust in 1994 has been managed as a “CSA” – a Community Supported Agriculture facility – and, with the help of volunteer farm managers and work-shares, has offered community members the opportunity to purchase weekly portions of organically farmed fruits, vegetables and herbs. The no-till, organic farming method not only produces considerable volumes of food, but also provides health benefits for the soil and the watershed ACLT so ardently cares for.

In late 2014, however, ACLT staff and leadership decided to change the purpose of the farm. Rather than offering “Community Supported Agriculture,” ACLT’s Double Oak Farm will offer “Agriculture Supporting the Community.” This new direction will mean that enough fresh fruits and vegetables will be donated to feed approximately 40 families per week. In addition, a special section of the farm has been dedicated to creating a large educational garden that will introduce home gardening, the benefits of native gardening and what we can learn from natural historic farming techniques. Once a month during June, July and August, ACLT will also host a farmers market where the public is invited to explore the farm, take part in workshops and purchase produce. All profits will go back into the farming program. With this new direction, ACLT is excited to further its mission of “connecting people with the land.”

The American Chestnut Land Trust is a member supported not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to protect the Parkers Creek watershed and its surrounding natural lands, waterways, and wildlife habitats. Established in 1986 as Maryland’s first grass-roots, community based land trust, over 3,000 acres have been protected. ACLT maintains 22 miles of trails which are open and free to the public and offers regular opportunities to canoe on and study the pristine ecosystems of Parkers Creek.