The site of a former telephone switching station and cable yard, now Crispus Attucks Park and the focus of a recent conservation easement acquired by Casey Trees. (Photo: Dave Harp for Bay Journal)
Casey Trees, a non profit organization focused on restoring and protecting the tree canopy of Washington DC, is beginning to get into the conservation easement business. In 2018, the organization worked with the District’s Department of Housing and Community Development to place easements on four small vacant properties the agency was slated to auction off. The easements require about 95 percent of the land to remain available for planning trees and other vegetation. A recent article in Bay Journal tells the full story.
From urban conservation easements, vest-pocket parks, and community gardens to recreation and green space corridors connecting cities to surrounding protected lands, landscape-scale conservation must enhance the quality of life of all urban citizens. Lots of Chesapeake watershed organizations are working on this, including a number of members of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership. But there is much more to do, and we need to continue to articulate the many connections between urban and rural needs and landscape-scale conservation goals.
Lightning Update is a regular communication of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions of the Partnership or member organizations.
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Support for the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is provided by:
National Park Service Chesapeake
EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
USDA Forest Service
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Virginia Outdoors Foundation
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Chesapeake Conservancy
The Chesapeake Conservation Partnership is co-convened by:
