Three forested properties totaling almost 200 acres were preserved in July by a partnership among Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust, the St Mary’s County Board of Commissioners, and the U.S. Navy, working with the Rural Legacy program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The properties are in the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area, a 13,660-acre area along the Bayshore south of Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River that has been designated as a land conservation zone. Each of the three properties was protected by a permanent conservation easement that prohibits development.
The 25-year building boom that, as detailed in St Mary’s County’s Comprehensive Plan, has been associated with growth of jobs generated by NAS Patuxent River puts immense pressure on dwindling natural resources – forests, wetlands and streams – that are the foundation of the quality of life that attracts people to this region in the first place.
“By preserving these properties we have permanently protected large contiguous forests that provide clean air, clean water and critical wildlife habitat,” commented Susan Charkes, Executive Director of Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust. “Residents will also continue to enjoy the continuous roadside views of woods that contribute to making this landscape special.”
The Navy’s participation in the partnership is authorized under the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. Protection of the three properties marks the first time the Navy has assisted with the funding of land preservation in St. Mary’s County under REPI, according to Christine Hays, a senior realty specialist with Naval Facilities Command Washington.
In Mattapany, the Navy’s purpose is to protect lands near the installation and beneath essential airspace where a variety of vital test and training operations occur, according to Chris Jarboe, Head of the Atlantic Test Range Team at NAVAIR Range’s Sustainability Office. Maintaining the rural character of the lands surrounding NAS Patuxent River, and its associated Atlantic Test Range, will prevent incompatible development and encroachment to the mission of NAS Patuxent River, protecting the public’s safety and minimizing noise complaints related to increased population growth, added Jarboe.
The landowners’ reasons for protecting their property are more personal.
St. Mary’s County native Stephen Kessler, 48, preserved his 75-acre wooded site that includes large wetlands and peat bogs along Carroll Pond.
“I wanted to make sure that future generations have the opportunity that I did, to experience the quality of rural life that I grew up with,” Kessler said.
The easements on these three properties were acquired using funds provided by the DNR, the Navy and for one property, the County (with funds from the Forest Mitigation fee-in-lieu program). In the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area, more than 3,000 acres have been protected through the Rural Legacy program and other state and county land protection initiatives that protect both natural land and agricultural lands. About half of the area remains undeveloped and unprotected.
Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust, a local nonprofit tax-exempt organization based in Leonardtown, has permanently protected almost 5,000 acres in southern Maryland through conservation easements since it was founded in 1996. With conservation easements, landowners enjoy the benefits of owning and using their land while protecting its natural and agricultural values to the community by agreeing that it will not be developed. PTLT acquires easements by donation as well as by purchase. Frank Allen, President of the Board of PTLT, commented. “We are actively seeking to talk with landowners who want to find out more about the benefits of protecting their property for themselves and the community.” More about PTLT is on the website, www.patuxent-tidewater.org.