Annapolis' Scenic Rivers Land Trust Earns National Accreditation

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Anne Arundel County residents truly appreciate their green spaces and since 1988, Scenic Rivers Land Trust has been working to create and protect green spaces. Recently, the trust shared that it has achieved national accreditation, becoming one of only five accredited local land trusts in the state.

“Our conservation director, Sarah Knebel, led a team of board volunteers through the rigorous two-year review process to ensure that we are well-positioned to serve Anne Arundel County long into the future," said Scenic Rivers’ executive director Rick Leader in a statement.

Scenic Rivers provided extensive documentation and was participated in a comprehensive third-party evaluation prior to achieving this distinction from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded accreditation.

“Accreditation demonstrates Scenic Rivers’ commitment to the highest practices and ethics of permanent land conservation,” Knebel said in a statement. “We could not have achieved this distinction without the commitment of critical donors and supporters who ensure our ability to grow. In particular, the Paul and Maxine Frohring Foundation is a significant investor in increasing Scenic Rivers’ capacity to protect land.”

Scenic Rivers is the most active land trust in Anne Arundel County, holding 68 conservation easements across the county totaling more than 3,000 acres. Scenic Rivers co-holds conservation easements along with the Maryland Environmental Trust on the Bacon Ridge Natural Area, where Scenic Rivers hosts the annual Walk for the Woods, a day of guided hikes throughout the 900-plus acre ecologically and historically significant area, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s Contee Farm. Both properties are open to the public for passive recreation.

In the last year, Scenic Rivers has conserved 325 acres throughout Anne Arundel County, permanently protecting lands ranging from a 100-year-old family farm to rare wetlands and acres of vital forestland.