American Chestnut Land Trust

a land conservancy

  • Home
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Staff and Board
    • Mission and History
    • Reports, Publications and Slides
    • ACLT Blog
    • Newsletter Search Page
    • Contact Us
  • Land and Maps
    • Trails and Trailheads
    • Double Oak Farm
    • The Land
    • Watershed Ecology
    • Cultural History
    • In Your Own Back Yard
    • Request a Group Visit to ACLT!
  • Support ACLT
    • Ways to Support ACLT
    • General Donation
    • Join/Renew Membership
    • Friends Forever – Planned Giving
  • Get  Involved
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Volunteer Hours
    • Calendar of Events/Canoe Trips
    • Conserve Your Land
  • Join/Renew
  • ACLT Sponsors
  • Donate
Home / Archives for ACLT in the News

ACLT Receives $20K Grant for Parkers Creek Heritage Trail

July 26, 2019 By crm

Woodrow Wallace Family – Photo by: Carl Fleischhauer
Woodrow Wallace Family – Photo by: Carl Fleischhauer

The American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT) is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $20,000 grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority (MHAA) for research to be conducted as the initial phase of the “Parkers Creek Heritage Trail”.  According to the grant application:

“For more than 10,000 years, people have hunted, fished, worked and made their homes around what would come to be known as Parkers Creek in Calvert County. Just as their lives and cultures shaped our local heritage, the ruggedness of the terrain and the characteristics of the waterways shaped their lives. The environment and its people leave a mark on each other and are inextricably intertwined.

The American Chestnut Land Trust seeks to fully explore that relationship within 5 significant eras of human habitation. The results will, in future phases, be shared through comprehensive interpretation for the public along ACLT’s current 22 miles of trails and heritage sites and 2 new trails slated for creation in 2019 and 2020.

Phase 1 of this long term project will result in the following: conclusion of primary research for each era and production of supporting online materials. At the conclusion of Phase 1, ACLT will hold a community event presenting the results of the research. Future phases will included development and installation of an interpretation plan and may include, but not be limited to, signage, framework edge display of excavated buildings, and sculptures/artwork representing buildings and historic life in the watershed, enhancing the visitors experience and strengthening their connection to the land.”

In its award of the grant, MHAA points out that “heritage areas foster broad public-private partnerships to preserve and enhance the best of Maryland’s historic sites and towns, unspoiled natural landscapes, and enduring traditions. These tangible links to both place and past help residents recognize their communities have a special piece of the American story to treasure and share with others and, in doing so, contribute to the economy of Maryland’s communities by preserving and enhancing places that attract heritage tourists. Every dollar of MHAA state grant funding has a return on investment of $4.45, generates $19.8 million in state and local taxes, and creates 3,146 jobs annually.”

Visit www.acltweb.org for more information about ACLT.

Share

Filed Under: ACLT in the News, Cultural History, Front Page

ACLT to be Featured on MPT’s “Outdoors Maryland”

August 11, 2017 By crm

On July 26th and 27th, a film crew from the MPT show “Outdoors Maryland” visited to take footage for an upcoming segment about ACLT and the partnerships that protected the Parkers Creek Watershed. The crew spent time on Double Oak Farm, at the Raft, at a Water Quality Monitoring site, walking the beach at Warriors Rest, and on a paddle on Parkers Creek. We expect the segment to be released in early 2018. We’ll keep you posted!

We’d like to send a special thanks to all the volunteers who participated and gave interviews! You all did a great job!

 

 

 

Share

Filed Under: ACLT in the News

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

Share

Filed Under: ACLT in the News

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.

Share

Filed Under: ACLT in the News

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.  

Share

Filed Under: ACLT in the News

© 2021 American Chestnut Land Trust. All rights reserved. CFC #53731.