Harford Land Trust Honors Crowl and Thompson Families with Conservation Award

From Harford Land Trust:

The Harford Land Trust recognized the Crowl and Thompson families of Street, Maryland with the organization’s prestigious Conservation Award during its annual membership meeting on Saturday, March 10 at Falling Branch Brewery in Highland.

Brothers Parker and Tanner Crowl of Garden Fence Farm are the sixth generation to operate their family’s dairy farm along with their father, David, and other family members. Garden Fence participates in the DFA cooperative which provides milk to leading customers such as Chobani and Kraft Foods. David and Marilyn (Crowl) Thompson founded Foxborough Nursery in 1978 and now manage the business with their sons Andrew and Brad. Foxborough is a wholesale plant nursery with over 900 cultivars.

The Crowls and Thompsons permanently preserved their lands through Harford County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program over 20 years ago, accounting for nearly 800 acres of preserved farmland in a swath of countryside stretching from the Rocks along Deer Creek northward to Highland. The families are committed to environmental stewardship, agricultural best management practices, soil conservation, and passing a love of the land to the next generation. “The land is our life,” said awardee David Thompson at the event.

Over 100 people attended the HLT’s annual meeting at Falling Branch Brewery, which released its new Preservation Ale during the event to raise awareness of land preservation in Harford County. The Galbreath family farm, the home of Falling Branch Brewery, was permanently preserved through both the Harford County Agricultural Land Preservation Program and the Harford Land Trust 20 years ago. “We are honored to partner with the Galbreath family and Falling Branch Brewery for our annual membership event. The release of Preservation Ale, brewed with Harford County hops and barley, is the perfect way to mark this occasion,” said Kristin Kirkwood, Harford Land Trust’s Executive Director.

Also honored at the event was Linn Griffiths, a county science teacher for 30 years, for her 10 years of service to the Harford Land Trust, most recently as the Secretary of the Board of Directors. Griffiths teaches biology and environmental science at C. Milton Wright High School and was the 2008 Maryland Presidential Excellence in Science Teaching award winner. Bill Leahy, Director of the Maryland Environmental Trust, served as the meeting’s keynote speaker.

The Harford Land Trust works with landowners, private and public, to conserve land and protect its natural resources, scenic beauty, rural character, and promote a healthy quality of life in Harford County. The organization has directly preserved over 1,300 acres of farmland, forest, and watershed since its founding. Visit www.harfordlandtrust.org for more information, to donate, or to become a member.