Annapolis, MD – Chesapeake Conservancy has issued the following statement:

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"In consultation with the Earl family, we have decided against building the proposed structure that we had hoped would serve as the Earl Conservation Center at Quiet Waters Park. This was a decision made with great care and consideration.

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"While we still believe that the Conservation Center would have had a tremendously positive community impact by bolstering local environmental organizations, some members of the community have strongly objected to the new building design. There had been significant support for renovating the old buildings. Unfortunately, following both a tornado and an arson fire, reusing the former buildings was no longer an option. We leave it now to the County and the community to determine their vision for the newly acquired acres, which we are proud to have helped conserve.

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"We want to expressly state how deeply grateful we are to the Earl family for their generous donation that helped expand Quiet Waters Park by 19 acres for all to enjoy while staving off the development of private homes. Without this altruistic and visionary family, the park expansion would simply have not happened.

"We also thank Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and Councilmember Lisa Rodvien for their steadfast leadership and support of both the community and the County’s environmental nonprofits. Lastly, we thank the full Anne Arundel County Council for their unanimous support of the vision of the Conservation Center.

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"Chesapeake Conservancy looks forward to helping with the next phase of the new heritage park at Elktonia/Carr’s beach, furthering bilingual outreach efforts at Sandy Point State Park and supporting Anne Arundel County’s forest protection plans and green infrastructure goals. Together, we’ll continue our important work to conserve land, protect wildlife habitat and increase public access for everyone."