01/14/2026
This is a great success for land preservation. Our board member Melanie Hartwig-Davis worked hard on this project for many years. I am personally grateful because this is where I grew up.
Congrats to all who were part of this, and especially Anne Arundel County for stepping up.
Scott Hymes
President Crownsville Conservancy
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Glebe Forest is preserved! Way to go, Mayo!
Following an eight-year effort by Mayo residents, the County Council has just approved a resolution which will prevent the construction of 42 homes in the Glebe Forest in Loch Haven, preserving the 68 acres as a low intensity, passive use park and protected forever from development.
The Forest at Glebe Heights is one of the largest, intact forests remaining on our peninsula; it will now stand as a tribute to smarter land use policy and the protection of the forests and open spaces that make this county beautiful and healthy. Glebe Forest is part of the Greenway of undeveloped, forested land that has a powerful and positive impact on Glebe Bay, the South River, and the Chesapeake Bay by preventing runoff down steep hills, decreasing nitrogen into the waters, and converting carbon dioxide into oxygen and returning it to the atmosphere.
Opposition to building houses on this forested land began eight years ago, including a memorable night on December 30 at the Edgewater Library, where over 200 people, all there to say yes to preserving the trees and no to development. Neighbors of the Mayo Peninsula, Arundel Rivers Federation, and Scenic Rivers Land Trust worked to apply pressure to the County to strictly follow the rules; Steuart Pittman's administration rejected the development plan after several failed drafts, requiring any new plans to comply with the Forest Conservation Act, which had since been passed.
A Save Glebe Forest effort used a change.org petition to gather over 400 signatures opposing the development. Mayo resident and Arundel Rivers executive director Matt Johnston organized two additional petitions with over 1,000 signatures saying the same. And Sarah Knebel, then executive director of Scenic Rivers Land Trust, worked on ways to preserve the trees, prevent development, and assure citizen access to the land for low intensity enjoyment. After several conversations with the landowner, we stepped aside and turned negotiations over to the County. District 7 Councilwoman Shannon Leadbetter served as liaison between the landowner's attorney and the County; an appraisal was completed and an agreement on the $4.5M purchase price was reached. The deal was struck, the resolution was signed by the Council, and the celebration was on!
Last Thursday, more than 50 advocates gathered at Glebe to celebrate with Mr. Pittman, Ms. Leadbetter, Recreation & Parks Director Jessica Leys, Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien, Matt Johnston of ARF, and Josh Falk of SRLT (which hopes to create a perpetual conservation easement on the entire Greenway property).
This is a huge win for the Mayo peninsula! Collectively, we sent a loud and clear message to the owner and developer, and to the County, that the trees and forest were more important than 42 more homes on our peninsula.
Thank you, Mayo residents, and all the citizen activists who carried the charge!
Anne Arundel community celebrates purchase that protects from development near South River
Anne Arundel County officials, environmental advocates, and residents gathered Thursday to celebrate the purchase of more than 68 acres of forestland that will now be permanently protected from development.
Neighbors of the Mayo Peninsula · PO Box 814 · Mayo, Md 21106 · USA
