Grace Kubofcik Friend of the Patapsco Award
The Grace Kubofcik Friend of the Patapsco Award honors the service and legacy of former PHG board President Grace Kubofcik. The award is given to individuals and organizations for exceptional stewardship, interpretation and/or preservation of the environment, history, and culture of the Patapsco River Valley and watershed.
Eligibility:
This award is open to both individuals and organizations, including those that have received PHG funding. Current PHG board members and staff are ineligible.
Nominations:
Nominations, including self-nominations, will be accepted through July 15 of each year. All nominations must be submitted online via the form below and should include a discussion of how the nominee has met the award criteria.
Award Selection:
One award will be granted during the fiscal year, which runs from July to June. Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s Executive Committee will review all nominations. This is a non-monetary award, and recipients will be recognized at a public event.
Award Recipients
Patapsco Heritage Greenway presented the inaugural 2025 Grace Kubofcik Friend of the Patapsco Award to Fred Dorsey.
Since retiring in 1998, Fred has been an incredible advocate for preservation and heritage in Howard County demonstrating ongoing dedication to research and sharing knowledge with the public. He has led or contributed to a range of activities that far exceed the award criteria and has been an exemplary and highly active community member in advocating for preservation.
The winner of the 2026 Grace Kubofcik Friend of the Patapsco Award was presented to the Rockburn Land Trust Inc., at our annual Evening in the Patapsco fundraiser on October 7. Rockburn Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that for decades has provided in the northeastern part of Howard County the backbone for the advocacy, protection and preservation of the area’s environmental and historical resources. It is one of the oldest land trusts in Maryland and was formed in 1989 when 4 landowners decided to place their properties, totaling 94 acres, under conservation easements and to form the Rockburn Land Trust. With the formation of this nonprofit organization, other landowners who owned properties in the Patapsco watershed, primarily either within or adjacent to Patapsco State Park, were given a means to voluntarily protect their property in perpetuity by relinquishing their development rights and thereby helping to protect and enhance the Patapsco State Park, the Patapsco River watershed and the historical context of the area.
In the ensuing 37 years, the Rockburn Land Trust has accepted easements on 12 additional properties totaling 57 acres and co-holds easements with the Maryland Environmental Trust on another 7 properties totaling 80 acres. Rockburn Land Trust was also helpful in laying the groundwork for the county purchase of a conservation easement with the Howard County Conservancy of the 62 acre Holy Trinity Church parcel. Despite significant development pressure and multiple lawsuits, the Rockburn Land Trust’s conservation easements remain intact, creating a green network in the heavily developed eastern side of the County.
In 1996, after helping to defeat an attempt to build 9 houses in front of a historic house in the Lawyers Hill Historic District, the Rockburn Land Trust worked with that community to encourage property owners in the Historic District to place conservation easements on their property to help protect the integrity of the historic district and the conservation of its environmental resources. Today all the largest parcels in the district are protected by conservation easements.
With their knowledge of easements and their purpose to promote for the benefit of the general public the preservation, protection and balanced use of natural resources, the Rockburn Land Trust stepped up in 2004 when the new purchasers of the historic Belmont Manor and its 67 acres within the Patapsco State Park attempted to break the historic easement on that property by proposing a property “swap,” new development including a hundred townhouses and a new road through Patapsco State Park. The Rockburn Land Trust was the lead organization advocating and negotiating with county and state leaders. This persistent and dedicated work spanning a decade led to securing the preservation of this historic and environmental area with Howard County Recreation and Parks’ purchase of the property, providing a usage that would respect and enhance that natural area yet keep it open for use by the general public. This also led Howard County to place a conservation easement with the Maryland Environmental Trust on the property, strengthening the protection of this historic gem along with the existing Maryland Historic Trust easement.
Rockburn Land Trust is one of the few all volunteer land trusts in the state. As an all-volunteer organization, there has been a tremendous amount of time, treasure and talent from dedicated citizens to build the Land Trust and accomplish significant conservation projects for the Patapsco Valley. Rockburn encourages the protection of history, architecture, wildlife, trees, waterways, and land on both large and small properties. With their decades of hard work and advocacy either directly or indirectly resulting in 25 easements protecting 360 acres as well as the protection of many historic resources, Patapsco Heritage Greenway is pleased to honor the Rockburn Land Trust with the 2026 Grace Kubocik Friend of the Patapsco Award.
A Watershed in Time Video
What is a watershed? How big is a watershed? Why are watersheds important? How can we achieve a sustainable future in the Patapsco Valley watershed? Explore these questions and more in our short video and learn more about what you can do, from individual and collective action to supporting our larger video project.