A conservation organization has secured one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts of land in Calvert County’s Parkers Creek Watershed, adding another chapter to its four-decade mission of protecting natural resources in the region.
The American Chestnut Land Trust, known as ACLT, completed the purchase in June 2026. With this addition, the organization now oversees more than 3,500 acres of permanently protected land within the watershed.
The newly acquired 90-acre property sits less than two miles from the Chesapeake Bay and features a mix of forest types, from younger pine stands to older-growth deciduous woodlands. These forests provide critical habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species — wildlife that can only survive within large, unbroken stretches of forested land.
A BGE power line right-of-way cuts through the property, creating open meadow habitat that supports a range of birds, insects, and mammals that thrive in early successional environments.
Beyond its wildlife value, the property protects a first-order stream that flows directly into Parkers Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, helping to safeguard water quality in the broader watershed.
ACLT also has plans to open the land to the public by constructing a 2.5-mile hiking trail across the property. That trail will serve as a long-awaited link between a 156-acre parcel ACLT preserved in 2022 — which had previously been cut off from the rest of the trail network — and the organization’s existing system of public trails and preserved properties. Each year, roughly 65,000 visitors use ACLT’s trail network.
ACLT Executive Director Autumn Phillips-Lewis expressed appreciation for the former landowner’s role in making the deal possible. “ACLT is grateful to George Helfrich, the former owner, for his dedication to conserving this beautiful property,” she said. “It is always an occasion to celebrate when we permanently protect natural places, and the ecological and recreational value of this property makes it especially exciting.”
Funding for the purchase came in part from the Maryland Rural Legacy Program, which compensated ACLT for placing a conservation easement on the land to protect its natural values in perpetuity. Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development facilitated the transaction and now co-holds the conservation easement alongside the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The remainder of the funding came from donations made by community supporters. As a nonprofit, ACLT relies on public generosity to carry out its land preservation work. Those wishing to contribute can visit acltweb.org/donate.
The American Chestnut Land Trust is a nationally accredited nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Parkers Creek and Governors Run Watersheds for the benefit of current and future generations. More information is available at www.acltweb.org.
