HLT’s 2017—2022 Strategic Plan called for us to strategically pursue land preservation projects that meet our land preservation criteria. Of course, we cannot, and should not, protect “everything.” It is paramount that our land preservation efforts are sharply focused on the most critical and vulnerable resources to ensure our efforts have the greatest positive impact.

Thanks to a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Land and Water Initiative, a project of the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network and the Land Trust Alliance, we were able to try something new further this goal. In late 2017, HLT engaged the Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center to develop a Harford County strategic land preservation prioritization map based on HLT’s land preservation criteria.

Over many months, HLT staff worked with the Conservancy to identify data sets and assign weights that best reflected HLT’s criteria and evaluation process for prospective land preservation projects.

Each parcel larger than five acres in Harford County was assessed against over 20 datasets. The highest priority was assigned to three overarching criteria:

• ·Wildlife and biodiversity (e.g., ecologically sensitive areas, habitat)
• ·Productive farmland (e.g., soil quality)
• ·Water quality (e.g., Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, marshland and streams, steep slopes, floodplains, green infrastructure)

Have a look at HLT's 2018 Winter Newsletter. Learn more about our recent success preserving the Perryman Forest, our permanent protection of Monk's Creek Woods, our results from this year's Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction, an overview of our recent strategic land conservation mapping and much more.

HLT_2018_winter_FINAL_website.pdf

Perryman Forest preservation partners hold a commemorative sign which will soon be installed on the property. Left-to-right: Todd Beser (APG ACUB Program Manager), Harry Webster (Forest Greens-Perryman Community Association President), Billy Boniface (Harford County Director of Administration), Barry Glassman (Harford County Executive), Major General Randy S. Taylor (Senior Commander, APG), Ben Lloyd (President, HLT), Kristin Kirkwood (Executive Director, HLT), Peg Niland (Former Executive Director, HLT).   (Photo credit Ruben Pereida Photography).

The Harford Land Trust is pleased to announce that it has completed the purchase of a 32-acre property known as Perryman Forest at a cost of $935,000. The local land preservation nonprofit had pursued the Perryman-area property for twelve years due to its significant environmental value, proximity to the Bush River, and connectivity with other open space.

The Harford Land Trust raised a record $50,000 at its seventh annual Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction on Saturday, October 20.  An enthusiastic crowd of 200 people attended the event at the Bel Air Armory in support of our mission of preserving land in Harford County.

Keynote speaker Major General Randy S. Taylor, Senior Commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), spoke of the important partnership with Harford Land Trust through the Army Compatible Use Buffer Program. General Taylor described the benefits of preserving critical habitat and limiting incompatible development near APG.