The Howard County Conservancy is a local non-profit environmental education center and land trust. The Conservancy was founded by a group of local citizens in 1990 to help preserve the natural environment, agricultural farmland, and unique historic sites in Howard County. Headquartered at Mt. Pleasant Farm in Woodstock, Maryland, a 232-acre farm that is 300 years old, the Conservancy offers dozens of year-round educational programs for adults and children, hosts special events, provides numerous volunteer opportunities, and provides Howard County residents with information about land conservation. The Conservancy protects land by acquiring it through gift or by obtaining a conservation easement.