How It All Started
Who was here before students roamed The Elms? You may be surprised. Read Elms Maryland Master Naturalist Robert Hurry's History of the Elms Property!
The Elms Property Land Use History revised 2018 - higher resolution.pdfIt's Official!
May 23, 1980 - the ribbon cutting ceremony for The Elms with founder and SMCPS teacher Marianne Chapman and St. Mary's County dignitaries.
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
Scroll through the photos to see how the former residence of Margaret Elms changed over time from home to educational center!
Go For A Virtual Walk
Take in the beauty of The Elms on this virtual video tour, courtesy our Program Assistant, Kurt Reitz.
Find Special Places
Open our Google Map and take a tour of some of the special places, plants, animals, and sustainability efforts of our center.
This map was created in partnership with Professor and Master Naturalist Barry Muchnick and his St. Mary's College of Maryland's Spring 2020 Chesapeake Natural History Class (ENST 375/95). This class provides students the opportunity to earn volunteer service hours at The Elms and apply those towards completion of a Master Naturalist Certification from the University of Maryland Extension's Master Naturalist Program.
Explore a few of our Fall 2019 -Spring 2020 SMCM Intern Projects
2019 Fall intern and SMCM student Daniel's final project was a Wetlands Field Guide, covering many of the common plant and animals found around and in the wetlands at The Elms.
Daniel's Field Guide.pdf2020 Spring intern, SMCM student, and Maryland Master Naturalist Jacqueline's project was "Collecting, Analyzing, Creating and Communicating with Beach Trash." Almost every piece of beach trash collected from January 29, 2020 through the date SMCM was closed due to COVID was used in this project. This piece of art will hang at The Elms to help educate students and visitors on the harmful impacts our trash has on the Bay and surrounding waterways.
2020 Spring intern, SMCM student, and Maryland Master Naturalist Hannah's project mixed modern with history. Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) applications and historical data, Hannah created a series of maps exploring land purchases from 1869 to 1982. To read more about historical land purchases, read Elms Maryland Master Naturalist Robert Hurry's "History of the Elms Property" above and on our "About" page.
Hannah's Historical Land Maps.pdfSpring 2020 SMCM Elms Interns were persistent in finding solutions despite COVID19 interruptions. Their completed projects exceeded expectations. Their leadership shone as they also assisted in the coordination of the 20 hours of volunteer service of Dr. Barry Muchnick's Natural History students. Thank you Interns!