One of the most remarkable aspects of this site is the variety of habitats – streams, ponds, wetlands, woods, hillsides, meadows – and one of our primary goals for this project is to protect and preserve the habitat. Today we met with folks from the state to discuss possible projects for habitat restoration at Resh Mill Preserve:
- State and County programs to enhance stream buffers
- Planting warm season grasses in the meadows to improve habitat for nesting birds, turkey and plants for pollinators such as bees and butterflies
- Create, support and link greenways for animals
- Plantings to improve the wetlands so they can hold more water and support species such as bog turtles
- And bring in the neighbors and community to also benefit from any restoration projects
Skunk cabbage was poking up out of the ground. Stay tuned!
Resh Mill Preserve 
Why did this come about without any notice to community? (other than one or two hand written signs posted at A- town?! Why not put it in the neighborhood of the owner who lives in Greenspring on his farm and not on the 60 acres he bought here…. It’s just as much a money maker as the funeral parlors. I live in that community and was never sent any information or have I seen any zoning….postings.
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Thank you for your comment. The reason you have not seen any signs yet is that we have not even begun the Special Exception process. Once we do, the property will be posted and there will be a public input meeting. This project was not even a possibility until the preliminary legislation was passed this spring. That legislation, which defines Conservation Burial and sets standards, allows for a project like this but only after a Special Exception approval. I agree that the laws about public notification of legislation are weak – my husband and I have fought for years to improve them in the name of land preservation and community input – they seem designed to promote development. Our Democracy depends on citizen involvement. We cannot sit around and wait for our representatives to tell us what is going on.
That said, please do not confuse this project with a development. This project will go a long way to preserve the rural way of life in the area. It will permanently protect the entire property so that it will always remain open space no matter who owns it or who is in public office. It will preserve and protect the natural habitat. Can you or any of your neighbors say that? Currently our neighbors on both sides of us are planning to develop their properties.
Resh Mill Preserve will be a very small, low impact project. We project 20-30 burials a year, using a small percentage of the 66 acres for burial. We will limit parking to 20 cars. Baltimore County is in the process of developing very strict standards we will have to follow in addition to the State laws on cemetery oversight.
Most of the land in the Greenspring Valley area is already permanently preserved. You cannot go back and change the allowed uses in the deed once the preservation is established. This project is an opportunity to permanently preserve a beautiful, resource rich property, forever.
Please let me know if you have any more questions. I am happy to discuss at any time. You can email me directly at reshmillpreserve@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Deirdre Smith
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