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Watershed Observer NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT LAND TRUST ‐ VOLUME 29 NO. 2 SPRING 2015 CONTENTS FORESTS OF THE PARKERS CREEK PRESERVE Science in the Watershed PART II 1 Forests of the Parkers Creek Preserve TH THE 28 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MEM‐ By Peter Vogt BERSHIP OF THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT LAND TRUST 2 Part II—The forests of the Chesapeake region as they once ACLT CREATES A NEW PATH IN HONOR OF were—in the words of Thomas Hariot and Captain John Smith OUR OWN “TRAILBLAZER” 4 What were the “Old Growth” forests of the Chesapeake region really like before HIKING TRAIL MAINTENANCE DAY 4 European colonists replaced them with farms? We will never know in detail: no paintings of forests are known, and of course cameras had not been invented. WATER QUALITY MONITORING ‐ 2015 5 The early English explorers (notably Thomas Hariot (1588) and John Smith (1612)) described some of the many kinds of trees (and other plants) they had ACLT’S AGRICULTURE TO SUPPORT THE seen in the Chesapeake Bay region, in the context of what might be merchant‐ COMMUNITY PROGRAM 5 able for export or at least useful to the settlers they expected to attract. The only ACLT WELCOMES JANEL YOUNG 6 native tree already being harvested and sold in Europe for reputed medicinal properties was the sassafras. Hariot and Smith are ‘primary sources’ who left NEW! ACLT MONTHLY PHOTO clues about what did once grow in the Parkers Creek Preserve (PCP), and, for us CONTEST 6 restoration ecologists, what could grow there again someday to the extent that’s CALENDAR OF EVENTS 6 feasible. England and early colonial Virginia and Maryland (our state did not yet exist SUPPORTING CONSERVATION THROUGH at the time of Smith and Hariot) lacked SPECIES in common but shared many PLANNED GIVING: AN INTERVIEW WITH genera and families (e.g., American pines, oaks, elms, chestnuts, ashes, cherries, JIM GREENE 7 crabapples and beeches were easily recognized by European explorers long be‐ “SPRING IS ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS” 8 fore Linnaean taxonomy (1753)). However, our native eastern forests are more biodiverse than Europe’s; Hariot and Smith saw many unfamiliar kinds of trees. ACLT FAMILY DAY 9 To some they gave misleading English names, to many others local Indian names, only a few of which have survived as cognates (e.g., persimmon, hickory, CONTRIBUTIONS AND NEW MEMBERS 11 and chinquapin). JOIN A FORCE OF NATURE 11 The lands seen by Capt. John Smith on his 1608 explorations were almost totally forested. Hariot contrasted the “infinite store of wood” he saw here with “The want of wood and deerenesse thereof in England”. Only the flat marshes were naturally treeless and grassy, as the Parkers Creek marsh still is today. COMING UP ON THE CALENDAR The “natural inhabitants” (speaking various languages—Piscataway in our MAY region—of the Algonquian family) lived in small hamlets along tidewater shores of the Chesapeake’s tributary estuaries, including the Patuxent and Potomac. 16 CANOE GUIDE TRAINING (11:30 A.M. – Hariot and Smith understandably devote far more words to the native people 3:30 P.M.) (SUNDAY RAIN DATE) than to native trees. Various crops were grown by the Indians in ‘smal plots of ground’, with their dwellings in the middle. To admit sunshine, trees had been 30 GUIDED CANOE TRIP (12:00 P.M. – 3:00 killed by girdling. “Near their habitations is little small wood, or old wood on the P.M.) (SUNDAY RAIN DATE) ground, by reason of their burning of them for fire. So that a man may gallop a 31 FAMILY DAY OPEN HOUSE AT DOUBLE horse amongst these woods any waie, but where creekes or Rivers shall hin‐ OAK (1:00 P.M. ‐ 4:00 P.M.) der” (Smith, 1612). Father Andrew White, the Jesuit who accompanied the Mary‐ land settlers in 1634, similarly noted (translated from Latin) that “Fine groves of SEE MORE OF THE 2015 CALENDAR ON PAGE trees appear, not choked with briars or bushes and undergrowth, but growing as if 6 OR ON THE WEB. planted by the hand of man, so that you can drive a four‐horse carriage, wherever you choose, through the midst of the trees.” White was probably also describing (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) Visit Us Online at http://acltweb.org/nl Around ACLT The 28th Annual Meeting of the Membership of the American Chestnut Land Trust AMERICAN CHESTNUT LAND TRUST, INC. A great crowd was on hand for ACLT’s Annual Meeting of the Membership on March 14, 2015. Board President Pat Griffin welcomed everyone and noted that P. O. Box 2363 the meeting was somewhat bittersweet because the Board would be closing the Prince Frederick, MD 20678 meeting with a farewell tribute to Executive Director Karen Edgecombe who Phone: 410‐414‐3400 had announced her retirement as of June 30, 2015. Fax: 410‐414‐3402 He then introduced past ACLT Board President Ted Graham who has been [email protected] leading ACLT’s effort to re‐invigorate its planned giving program. Ted set the http://acltweb.org/nl stage by sharing with the membership that his father had donated funds at the Published quarterly by the American Chestnut start of ACLT to include his three sons as charter members of the land trust and Land Trust. The ACLT is dedicated to the then Ted said, “Now that I have reached a certain age, I have thought about my preservation of Calvert County, Maryland’s Natural and Historical Resources. Since it was own legacy and I have provided for ACLT in my estate plans.” He explained that established in 1986, ACLT has preserved over ACLT has revised its gift acceptance policy and created an “ACLT Friends For‐ 3,000 acres. We own 958 acres, manage 1,910 ever” legacy society. Next steps include additions to the website to highlight acres owned by the State of Maryland, and hold conservation easements on 374 privately planned giving and plans to recognize members of ACLT Friends Forever who ‐owned acres. have made provisions for ACLT in their estate plans. He closed by stating that the planned giving program will play a key role in building ACLT’s endowment Editors: Ellen and David Farr to help ensure the organization’s long‐term strength as well as the permanence Board of Directors of ACLT’s preservation efforts. Patrick J. Griffin, President David Farr, Chair of ACLT’s Land Preservation Committee summarized the David F. Farr, Vice President status of fundraising to finance the 2013 acquisition of the Harrod Property. The Gary A. Loew, Corporate Secretary Cheryl L. Place, CPA, Treasurer total cost to acquire and maintain the property is $360,325. Of this amount, ap‐ Richard Aldrich proximately $320,000 is for land acquisition costs and the balance for steward‐ Greg Bowen ship costs. Dave reported that 100% of monies pledged by donors in 2013 and Denise Breitburg 2014 for acquisition of the property have been collected. Approximately $50,000 Steven P. Cloak, Jr. Kathleen Ellwood remains to be collected to replenish ACLT’s Land Acquisition Fund, but the ma‐ Scott Galczynski jority of these funds (more than $45,000) have already been pledged over the Elizabeth L. Johnston coming three years. Due to a generous private donation and board‐designated Steve Kullen carryover funds from 2014, 100% of the funds needed for long‐term stewardship John Little Wilson Parran of the property have now been contributed to the Land Management Endow‐ Suzanne Shelden ment Fund. Peter N. Stathis ACLT Land Manager Autumn Phillips presented the report of the Land Guy Tomassoni Management Committee. She noted that the Harrod Property is in need of more Randi Vogt land stewardship than perhaps any other ACLT‐owned property. Last summer, Executive Director Weed Whacking Wednesday volunteers and ACLT hunters started the process Karen H. Edgecombe by removing an old house trailer on the property. Efforts to improve the Harrod Property continue as Wednesday Weed Whackers are now working to remove Community Relations Coordinator Pam Shilling invasives. An Earth Day trash clean‐up event is planned and the Calvert County Forestry Board is working with ACLT to plant 50 hybrid American Chestnut Land Manager seedlings donated by the American Chestnut Foundation on the Harrod prop‐ Autumn Phillips erty. Office Coordinator Autumn also reported that for the third year in a row, ACLT is a host site for Janel Young the Maryland Master Naturalist program—an adult education program that teaches participants about Maryland’s natural history and requires them to Ann White, Contract Accountant complete volunteer projects. At the completion of the 2015 class in May, ACLT Volunteer Staff will have had 48 students complete the 15‐week course and active volunteers Ginny Murphy, among the 33 graduates of the 2013 and 2014 programs completed 1,058 volun‐ Membership Coordinator teer hours in 2014 alone. 2 The robust Outreach and Membership Committee are “food insecure”. She said, ACLT has a productive farm had reports from Greg Bowen concerning the formation and willing volunteers that have an interest in turning of the new Sustainable Calvert Network and noted that, ACLT’s fields into a source of fresh, local fruits and vege‐ in addition to ACLT, the following organizations have tables to reduce hunger in our community. In weighing joined: Calvert County Farm Bureau, Calvert County His‐ the benefits of ACLT’s previous Community Supported torical Society, Calvert Eats Local, Calvert Farmland Agriculture program against this need, the board has Trust, Calvert Nature Society (formerly Battle Creek Na‐ opted to change to a program that we are calling ture Education Society), Cove Point Natural Heritage “Agriculture to Support the Community”.

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