Lower Shore Land Trust seeks end of year donations

One of the things I love most about the Lower Shore is the sheer beauty of our land. From the sweeping vistas of our farmlands to the quiet majesty of our forests and the stunning beauty of our marshlands, it's something I want to preserve for my children and grandchildren and it's why I'm part of the Lower Shore Land Trust!

But our rich farmland and forests are being fragmented from development and the quality of our rural lands is diminishing!

Your past support for the Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT) has helped us protect almost 20,000 acres in the three Lower Shore counties and plans to add to that in the coming year! In addition, we are working on programs to create bike trails that will allow more of us to enjoy the scenic beauty of our land.

Our efforts will help protect our environment, our scenic beauty and our critical wildlife habitat while making our rural areas more accessible to our population.

But we can't do this without you! Please consider a gift during our holiday appeal!

We've made significant progress over the past year, but we urgently need to increase our staff capacity to preserve farmland and wildlife habitat, monitor our existing conservation easements, manage our growing array of projects and promote and support our volunteer opportunities.  All of this takes money.

It wasn't many years ago that the drive to Ocean City through West Ocean City was  an iconic scene - the corn fields and ponds attracted waterfowl that could be seen by the thousands all the way to the Route 50 bridge. These simple sights were our connection to the "real" Eastern Shore and the allure of the watermen, farmers and hunters that made their livelihoods along the coast.

Today, the same drive into Ocean City is a little different. We're surrounded by the same chain stores that can be seen in Anyplace, USA. With your help we can still protect other grand gateways, like the gateway to our treasured federal and state parks at Assateague Island!

Consider how much you love the Eastern Shore and think about how you much you want your children and grandchildren to be able to enjoy its beauty the way you do.  As you do, please consider renewing your commitment to the Lower Shore Land Trust to help support our programs and help preserve the best of the Lower Shore.

Thank you.

— Mr. Nemazie is chair of the Lower Shore Land Trust. To donate visit lowershorelandtrust.org and click the “Donate” tab.