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The Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary is a center for the development and dissemination of programs that directly involve students and adults in the management, protection and restoration of wildlife, habitat and biodiversity.

The Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary is a 950-acre peninsula bordered by three creeks. The property includes over 200 acres of grass meadows, 300 acres of woodlands, eight miles of shoreline and ten miles of walking trails. The Sanctuary is used for outdoor science-based education, scientific research, and wildlife and habitat conservation.

Ongoing habitat restoration projects serve as tools to educate other landowners about similar methods they can put into practice on their properties, and to encourage citizens to support similar efforts of many other landowners and groups statewide and throughout the region.

The Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary offers year round, science-based programs to audiences of all ages. Activities range from Chesapeake Bay ecology to bird walks to canoe trips to Nature and the Arts summer camps. The education staff provides after-school programs, summer camps, pre-school programs, elementary and high school programs both on-site and on the school grounds. In addition to programs for organized groups such as school classes, the Sanctuary offers programs for adults, children and families from the local community. On selected Mondays and Sundays, the Sanctuary is open to the public for self-exploration. The Sanctuary also serves as the state office for Audubon Maryland-DC.

The property was donated to the National Audubon Society in 1997 by Jean Ellen duPont Shehan. Because of her reverence for the outdoors and her wonderful childhood memories, Mrs. Shehan continued her father’s tradition of managing the property to attract wildlife and provide nesting areas for several bird species.

Working closely with Audubon staff, an active group of volunteers supports many Sanctuary initiatives. These “citizen scientists” are actively involved in population surveys of the eastern box and spotted turtles, salamander and frog species, and more... Bird and butterfly counts are an important and enjoyable component of citizen science projects. Our Annual Monarch Watch, Christmas bird count, and mid-winter and spring bird counts are among the many projects conducted at the Sanctuary that rely heavily on the support of volunteers.

For information please call 410.745.9283.