A Quiet Spot off Route 50

Grasonville, Maryland. Just off Route 50 on the Eastern Shore a few miles east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a 510 acre tract of land -- home to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center. Conservation easements held by the Wildfowl Trust of North America and the Maryland Environmental Trust ensure the protection of this land close to the heavily travelled highway corridor.

Use this link to download and view a 360 degree panorama of the above photo (you'll be asked to run the file). Once the panorama is open, you can stop & start the panorama and adjust its speed by using the controls in the upper left corner of the panorama. I wish the panorama could also capture the feel of the air blowing and the sounds of the birds and insects. But it should at least give you a flavor of one part of this place. 

The protected parcel includes four miles of land trails, a one mile canoe trail, two observation towers, two concealed observation blinds, and marsh boardwalks.

Just a little over a mile away from this spot you'll find the Oyster Cove development.

Yes, people want housing in attractive locations. And certainly it's going to be built to meet this demand. But it's good to know that in places like Grasonville, there's land that will be kept undeveloped for generations to come. And it's also good to know that the citizens of Maryland -- through agencies like the Maryland Environmental Trust -- helped make this possible.