OUR MISSION: MANAGED GROWTH
"To protect the unique environment and heritage of Talbot County --- its waterways, farmland and historic small towns."

The Talbot Preservation Alliance was founded in 1999 by Talbot County citizens with the common goal of preserving the unique and fragile environment of our county. We work to accomplish this objective through education, advocacy and, occasionally, through litigation.

We firmly support the principles of “Smart Growth” endorsed by the last four Maryland governors. We work in partnership with other community organizations, inside and outside our county, to encourage adherence to those principles by monitoring the enforcement of ordinances that support managed growth. Because land-use decisions are controlled by elected and appointed officials at the local level, we help to elect and support public officials who endorse smart growth principles.

As a Maryland non-profit organization, our work is accomplished through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers. Our non-partisan volunteers share our love for the fields, woods, waterways and small-towns that characterize our rural community.

To read more about Talbot Preservation Alliance, visit our About Us page

Business, Jobs and Quality of Life
Guest Commentary in the Star Democrat
By Jack Fischer, member, Talbot County Planning Commission

Attracting business and jobs will be a popular campaign theme during the upcoming Talbot County Council election. Business growth is a reasonable and necessary objective but there is a need for balance.

There are reasons families have chosen to remain here for generations, that young families working virtually have chosen Talbot County as their home, retirees have chosen to move here, tourists choose to visit here, artists and artisans from all corners of the country travel here and sportsmen and sportswomen choose to hunt and fish here.

A primary incentive for each of these diverse groups of people centers on the pace of life this county offers—a sense of place characterized by open space, farms, woodlots and waterways, uncongested roads and small towns and villages. Each of us is familiar with formerly rural counties, the leaders of which, for one reason or another, have been enticed to sacrifice their open space, the rural countryside, the very reason they chose to make the county their home in the first place. Fortunately, over time, from election to election, Talbot County voters have elected candidates who place a high value on maintaining our rural character--space for all, young and old, to exhale.

So, today, how can we best grow our employment base and still preserve these values, characteristics that make this land such a pleasant place to visit and live, such a pleasant place to call home?

One obvious measure is to avoid sprawl out onto our farms by concentrating residential growth and new business within the boundaries of incorporated towns. A second is to encourage light industry, businesses that create well-paid, meaningful jobs, employment with a future. And third, discourage the addition of big box stores and other national chain stores, businesses that bring few meaningful jobs, generate out-of-county profits and increase traffic congestion.

The current Talbot County Council has worked hard to retain and preserve the rural characteristics that have made our county unique. In the coming weeks, candidates for the new council will express their views on attracting jobs and businesses to the county. It will be important for us to listen carefully in order to identify candidates who understand, value and would preserve those attributes that cause us to wake up each morning, find ourselves living in Talbot County and wonder at our extreme good fortune.

We firmly support the principles of “Smart Growth” endorsed by the last four Maryland governors. We work in partnership with other community organizations, inside and outside our county, to encourage adherence to those principles by monitoring the enforcement of ordinances that support managed growth. Because land-use decisions are controlled by elected and appointed officials atthe local level, we help to elect and support public officials who endorse smart growth principles.

To read more about Talbot Preservation Alliance, visit our About Us page

If these values are important to you, we would love to add you to our number.Please contact us at info@talbotpreservation.org