Lathbury Honored by State

Meredith Leftbury, far right received the Aileen Hughes Award for Outstanding Leadership in Land Conservation recently.

Meredith Lathbury, Director of Land Conservation for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, recently received the Aileen Hughes Award for Outstanding Leadership in Land Conservation. The award, one of two presented this year, is given by the Maryland Environmental Trust, was created in honor of the late Aileen Hughes, a leader in the conservation movement and honors those that demonstrate exemplary leadership in the land trust community. The award was presented to Lathbury at the Maryland Land Trust Alliance Conference, held earlier this month at the Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant Farm in Woodstock
Lathbury was honored with Ann Holmes Jones, President of the Howard Country Conservancy and a member and secretary of the MET board of trustees.

An alumna of the Center for Whole Communities’ "Whole Thinking" Program, Lathbury’s innovative work is reshaping ESLC’s strategic plan in order to integrate conservation, health, justice, spirit and relationships. This past winter she helped plan a "whole communities" retreat for Eastern Shore conservation leaders that focused on partnership building and community-based approaches to land preservation.
Her work is represented in recent successes like the Blackwater community input sessions held in Cambridge last November. This 728-acre tract of farmland, wetland, and forest was preserved by the State of Maryland in 2007, having been previously slated for development. The sessions brought together local, state and federal partners to specifically attend to public input regarding future uses of the preserve and the opportunities for public participation in restoration, education and recreation activities.
"We are so proud of Meredith for this much deserved recognition for her continued efforts to make sure the Eastern Shore remains a special place for all of its residents,"said Rob Etgen, ESLC’s Executive Director. "By ensuring that local interests have a voice as part of the process, Meredith has a unique ability to connect the needs of people with the need for conservation."