Howard County Conservancy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Howard County Conservancy |
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| Type | Non-profit land trust, nature center |
| Location | 10520 Old Frederick Road Woodstock, Maryland |
| Area | 232 acres (0.94 km2) |
| Created | 1990 |
| Operated by | Howard County, Maryland |
| Website | hcconservancy.org |
The Howard County Conservancy is a special place in Woodstock, Maryland. It's a non-profit group that works to protect land and runs a nature center. This center is located on a very old farm called Mt. Pleasant Farm, which is about 300 years old and covers 232 acres (0.94 km2).
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Protecting Nature: The Conservancy's Story
The Howard County Conservancy started in 1990. Its main goal was to protect and save important farmland and historic places in Howard County. Think of it like a guardian for nature and history!
The conservancy helps protect over 1,600 acres of land. They do this by managing "legal easements." This means they have agreements that make sure the land stays natural and isn't built on. In 2014, they even opened a second nature center at a place called Belmont Manor.
The Mt. Pleasant Farm Center: A Look Back
The Mt. Pleasant Farm has a long history, going all the way back to 1692. That's when a person named Thomas Browne II built a log house there.
Later, the farm was owned by Ruth and Francis Brown. When they passed away in the early 1990s, they wanted their farm to be saved and used for teaching people. Some dedicated people, including James Eacker, George Reynolds, Joyce Kelly, and Senator James A. Clark, Jr., worked hard to make sure the farm could be bought and used for education.
In 1997, the center hired its first full-time director to help run things.
Learning About Our World
In 2005, a new building opened called the Gudelsky Environmental Education Center. This is where many learning programs happen.
In 2008, the center created an exhibit about solar energy. This showed how we can use power from the sun to save money and help the environment.
A cool thing happened in 2010: the center got an owl! This owl helps teach kids about the dangers that owls face in the wild.
Also, a historic barn from another farm, Mt. Joy, was carefully moved to the conservancy. It's now part of the history you can see there.
Images for kids
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Stuffed foxes on display
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Turtle
