Board of Public Works Approves $6 Million for Recreation and Land Preservation

Funding includes $4 million for the Rural Legacy Program as well as support for projects in Howard and Cecil counties 

Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area, Dorchester County, contains a significant amount of the the state’s wetlands. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.

The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources requests for $6 million in funding to local governments and land trusts to preserve and protect land and provide recreational opportunities for Marylanders.

A total of $1.8 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for five projects. These include a Cecil County project to provide pickleball courts at Brantwood Regional Park, and renovations of Howard County’s East Columbia Library Park, which includes basketball courts, fields and a playground. Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities.

More than $4.2 million in Rural Legacy funding was approved for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on seven properties across the state that total 975 acres: 

• The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will preserve 289 acres in the Agricultural Security Corridor – Harvest Crescent Rural Legacy Area. This Cecil County property includes 195 acres of farmland and provides scenic views along public roads.
• An easement on a 55-acre forested property in the Mountain Ridge Rural Legacy Area in Allegany County will protect stream buffers in the Potomac River watershed. The property is located on a ridge top that provides an important travel corridor for a wide range of wildlife species. 
• The Conservation Fund will protect 186 acres in Dorchester County’s Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area. This wooded property, situated in the Fishing Bay watershed, also holds historical significance as part of the rural landscape traversed by Harriet Tubman.
• Additionally, The Nature Conservancy will protect another 100 acres in Dorchester County’s Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area. This property, consisting of both agricultural and forested land, is integral to the large block of rural and working lands in the Nanticoke River watershed that contributes to the sustainability of the region’s resource-based industries.
• An easement in Montgomery County’s Upper Patuxent River Watershed Rural Legacy Area will preserve 202 acres that are adjacent to Patuxent River State Park and protect stream buffers along a tributary to the river.
• Washington County will protect two farms totaling 143 acres in the Mid-Maryland Washington Rural Legacy Area. The easements over these farms will safeguard over a mile of streams that flow into the Potomac River, one of the largest rivers that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works August 7, 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.