Board of Public Works Approves $500,000 for Recreation and Land Preservation

Funding includes 100-plus acre conservation easement in Cecil County

Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area in Cecil County

The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resource items for more than $500,000 in grants to local governments and land trusts to preserve and protect land, and provide recreational opportunities for Marylanders.

The board approved $444,782 in Rural Legacy funding for the Cecil Land Trust to obtain an easement on a 102-acre property in the Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area. The conservation easement will protect agricultural and forested lands, including 3,300 linear feet of forested buffer along North East Creek and its tributaries.

Three Program Open Space – Local projects totaling $58,000 were approved, including a grant to Dorchester County to provide a new picnic pavilion at Vienna Park. Program Open Space – Local provides funding for local subdivisions for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or open space areas.

All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works July 17, 2024 meeting agenda. The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman.

The Rural Legacy Program, created in 1997, conserves large working landscapes across 35 locally designated areas throughout Maryland. 

Established under the Department of Natural Resources in 1969, Program Open Space (divided into Local and Stateside programs), along with other state land conservation programs, symbolizes Maryland’s long-term commitment to conserving our natural resources while providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for all citizens.