The Harford Land Trust, the product of John Hegeman's energy and vision, was created in 1991. The original directors were John, Dr. Sidney Kreider, Dr. Albert Owens, David Miller, and I.
 
The five of us were realists. We knew we weren't going to save Harford County from development, but we did think we might be able to save some small pieces of it. We weren't entirely sure how we would do this. We could buy land, of course, and save it that way - but what would we use for money? That was the biggest question facing us, but there were lots more questions besides, and we didn't have many answers. Even so, we knew we'd better begin.
 
With John Hegeman doing most of the spadework, we did get started, and year after year the pace picked up. The Forest Greens project came along first. We learned from it, and its success led to other projects. Now, after thirteen years, the Trust is not only still in business, it plays a vital role in the ongoing struggle to preserve significant amounts of Harford County's rural land in the face of development pressure.
 
The organization's mission remains what it was in 1991, but there have been important changes in leadership. None of the five original directors are on the board today. Al Owens served only briefly. John Hegeman and Sid Kreider are dead. David Miller is the Trust's project director and only employee. I left the board this year. (The bylaws, as is now standard practice at many nonprofits, limit directors to not more than three consecutive three-year terms.)
 
Ann Helton, the Trust's new president, is the fourth to hold that office. John Hegeman was the founding president, succeeded in (date) by Dr. Lehman Spry. As the vice president, I succeeded Lehman upon his death in (date).
 
Lehman, in addition to being a good friend, was an extremely effective president of the Trust. He had been a member of the County Council, and his political contacts were very good. Many people involved with nonprofit organizations such as the Harford Land Trust are instinctively suspicious of government, but Lehman taught us that it's generally better to know what the politicians are up to than to have them surprise you. It was a valuable lesson.
 
I can remember John Hegeman expressing some concern, years ago, that he, David Miller and I all lived within a mile or so of one another. "That makes us look like the Churchville Land Trust," he said, rather than an organization focused on Harford County as a whole. He didn't tell us we had to move to new neighborhoods, but he did press the board to make its membership more diverse in many ways, including geography.
 
That's been done. The board is larger now, which means its members bring more experience to their work for the Trust, and there is more diversity as well. The Trust has worked on projects all over the county, and certainly hasn't confined its attention to neighborhoods where its directors live. But I'm glad to say it hasn't yet severed all its old Churchville roots. John Hegeman's son Peter, who lives on his father's farm, is a member now. Ann and Arthur Helton live on Harmony Church Road practically next to the Trust's office. David and Trudy Miller are within walking distance as well.
 
Under Ann's direction, the Trust can be expected to make further progress in protecting Harford County farmland and other open space in the face of constantly increasing development pressure. It's a difficult job, and it can require political, diplomatic and financial skills as well as a love of the land. But the work is vital, and has strong public support. My guess is that the Trust's next thirteen years are likely to be at least as productive and eventful as the first thirteen.