Learn how land trusts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are using collaborative partnerships to accelerate land conservation, address climate resiliency, and participate in the large-scale regulatory framework of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. Hear from the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN), the Southern Maryland Conservation Alliance (SMCA), and the Heart of Maryland Conservation Alliance (HMCA) as they offer innovative approaches to working with diverse stakeholders to meet mutual goals for the restoration of the largest estuary in the United States.
As a Land and Water Initiative grantee, HMCA host-partner Catoctin Land Trust worked with other LWI grantees to envision a conservation values-based GIS reporting platform that provides parcel-level detail on an array of metrics. The American Chestnut Land Trust coordinates land conservation and restoration efforts within the five-county “Southern Maryland” region and is a lead partner of the SMCA. Lower Shore Land Trust, a LWI grantee, is a lead partner of the DRCN. The network uses green nature-based infrastructure solutions for restoration and targeted land and water conservation for protection, including areas of future importance such as marsh migration corridors. These three models show landscape-level vision and operating plans that aim to secure the economy and environment in the face of rapid climate change and continued land development stress.