Constellation donates Susquehanna River property to support watershed conservation efforts

Gov. Larry Hogan joined officials from Harford and Cecil counties, the Chesapeake Conservancy and Constellation to celebrate the company’s commitment to donate approximately 300 acres of land near the Conowingo Dam to the state of Maryland.

As the nation’s largest producer of clean, carbon-free energy, Constellation’s donation will support conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and enhances public access to local, state and national park systems.

A ribbon cutting to celebrate the donation was held at the trailhead of Wildflower Trail on Shure’s Landing Road in Darlington.

The land donation is a collaborative effort between Constellation, the state of Maryland and local, county and state conservation and environmental agencies and nonprofit organizations, including the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Park Service, Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway Inc., Port Deposit, Havre de Grace, the Harford Land Trust, Cecil Land Trust and the Chesapeake Conservancy.

The property will become part of local, state and national park systems and conservation projects consisting of parks, trails and other public lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that bring national and international attention to the Chesapeake Bay’s significant natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources.

The donated land will be permanently preserved for conservation purposes for the benefit of the public. Such protection will promote healthy ecosystems and habitats, bolster environmental stewardship and literacy and support climate resiliency.

The property is nearby the Conowingo Dam, which operates 11 turbines that produce the majority of Maryland’s in-state renewable energy, enough to power 165,000 homes on average, preventing 880,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to taking 170,000 cars off the road each year.

Between the Conowingo Dam in Darlington, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Station in Lusby and three wind projects in Garrett and Alleghany Counties, Constellation produces more than 90% of Maryland’s in-state clean, zero-emission electric generation.

Constellation is investing $700 million in environmental programs and projects that directly benefit water quality, aquatic life and recreational resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, particularly along the banks of the Lower Susquehanna.