An idyllic creekside family farm near Church Hill, Maryland, will continue forever in its natural beauty, thanks to a recent agreement with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) and the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET).
Southeast Creek Farm, home to the Sener family, is now protected through an easement donated by Bets Sener Durham and her brothers John Ten Eyck “Tenny” Sener and Ward Sener. It covers nearly 100 acres between Southeast and Syberrys creeks and marks a big win for Queen Anne’s County, which has now surpassed state conservation goals by preserving over 43% of its agricultural zoned land.
Durham grew up here with her brothers. She remembers hooking a wagon to her Cub Cadet tractor when she was 12 years old and driving with a friend all three miles from the farm to Church Hill and back. Tenny Sener recalls quiet moments of contemplation in the wooded corners of the large property, where “nothing’s going on and everything’s going on.” Preserving this special natural heritage with ESLC and MET is personal to the Seners.
Boasting 4,724 feet of waterfront on Southeast Creek, the 100-acre farm protects all kinds of valuable ecology. The landscape, once agricultural, has been turned into a thriving grassland habitat through Washington College’s Natural Lands Project (NLP). It supports wildlife including waterfowl, grassland birds, beavers, wild turkeys, raccoons, and bobwhite quail. 70 acres of former grain fields are under ecological restoration, while another 24.5 acres of woodlands will be managed under a forest stewardship plan. 56 acres on the farm are enrolled in a buffer planting program with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
Bets Sener Durham and her brother Tenny still live on the Eastern Shore. Tenny’s daughter, Nicki, owns Ten Eyck Brewing, named for her father. By donating to this conservation easement, they chose to permanently protect their childhood home and preserve the land for future generations. “I love the land so much that I wanted to protect it forever,” Durham said.
“We want to thank the Seners and Durhams for their dedication to the conservation of their spectacular property,” said David Satterfield, ESLC Director of Land Conservation. “Their love for their land is clearly shown through their actions; both through the restoration of the land for wildlife and now its protection in perpetuity. We look forward to continuing to work with them to pursue their passion for conserving this great resource for generations to come.”
