Cultivating a living classroom
Community Ecology Institute engaged in effort to raise $300,000 to transform Shaw Farm into place to learn about natural world
Chiara D’Amore wants to transform a small organic farm in Columbia into a living classroom for the nonprofit she founded in 2016 with a mission to reconnect people to the natural world.
The Harper’s Choice environmentalist said she isn’t at all surprised when people say they haven’t heard of the Community Ecology Institute, which is seeking a conditional use modification to operate on a Columbia farm.
But D’Amore is undeterred by the lack of name recognition.
The former environmental program manager is banking that a groundswell of community support — as well as being in the right place at the right time — will soon translate into a new future for the fledgling nonprofit. The organization grew out of a club she formed in 2014 called Columbia Families in Nature.
D’Amore said CEI is working to raise $300,000 to purchase Shaw Farm, a 6.4- acre property in a residential neighborhood near Atholton High School. A second campaign to raise another $300,000 to modify the interior of an existing barn for offices and classrooms will likely come later.
Fundraising must be completed by the May 15 deadline set by farm owner David Shaw to finalize the deal, she said.
A community input meeting will be held April 9 at the Central Branch of the Howard County Library System. Neighbors of the property can learn more about the proposal and give feedback before the modification request is heard by a hearing examiner.
A private gathering for prospective donors is planned for April 4.
Having a facility at 8000 Harriet TubmanLane would boost the nonprofit’s profile in the community and permit expanded programming, D’Amore said, while saving a 38-year-old family farm from development at the same time.
“There is a fire in me to protect this land,” said D’Amore, who has a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering and a doctorate in sustainability education.
A married mother of two elementary-age kids, she left her consulting career in 2017 to focus on growing the institute.
“We’ve been limited in what we can do and that has motivated us to take this big leap,” she said of the institute.
D’Amore said she would like to see work on cleaning up the property begin this summer if plans are approved, but a precise timeline for barn renovation and other goals hasn’t been decided.
“I’m hoping the community will be really excited to have this space brought back to life,” she said.
If the farm purchase moves forward, a 4,000-square-foot barn on the property that is 75 percent finished would become classroom and office space. There are also plans to showcase the types of gardens a homeowner can have on a quarter-acre or a patio, among many other outdoor projects.
Collaborations with the Howard County See FARM, page 6
The Harper’s Choice environmentalist said she isn’t at all surprised when people say they haven’t heard of the Community Ecology Institute, which is seeking a conditional use modification to operate on a Columbia farm.
But D’Amore is undeterred by the lack of name recognition.
The former environmental program manager is banking that a groundswell of community support — as well as being in the right place at the right time — will soon translate into a new future for the fledgling nonprofit. The organization grew out of a club she formed in 2014 called Columbia Families in Nature.
D’Amore said CEI is working to raise $300,000 to purchase Shaw Farm, a 6.4- acre property in a residential neighborhood near Atholton High School. A second campaign to raise another $300,000 to modify the interior of an existing barn for offices and classrooms will likely come later.
Fundraising must be completed by the May 15 deadline set by farm owner David Shaw to finalize the deal, she said.
A community input meeting will be held April 9 at the Central Branch of the Howard County Library System. Neighbors of the property can learn more about the proposal and give feedback before the modification request is heard by a hearing examiner.
A private gathering for prospective donors is planned for April 4.
Having a facility at 8000 Harriet TubmanLane would boost the nonprofit’s profile in the community and permit expanded programming, D’Amore said, while saving a 38-year-old family farm from development at the same time.
“There is a fire in me to protect this land,” said D’Amore, who has a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering and a doctorate in sustainability education.
A married mother of two elementary-age kids, she left her consulting career in 2017 to focus on growing the institute.
“We’ve been limited in what we can do and that has motivated us to take this big leap,” she said of the institute.
D’Amore said she would like to see work on cleaning up the property begin this summer if plans are approved, but a precise timeline for barn renovation and other goals hasn’t been decided.
“I’m hoping the community will be really excited to have this space brought back to life,” she said.
If the farm purchase moves forward, a 4,000-square-foot barn on the property that is 75 percent finished would become classroom and office space. There are also plans to showcase the types of gardens a homeowner can have on a quarter-acre or a patio, among many other outdoor projects.
Collaborations with the Howard County See FARM, page 6
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