Board of Public Works Approves $1.7 Million for Recreation and Land Conservation in Baltimore, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, and Queen Anne’s Counties

Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local and Rural Legacy programs

Queen Anne’s County will acquire two conservation easements totaling 177 acres in the Foreman Branch Rural Legacy Area. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.

The Board of Public Works today approved more than $1.7 million in grants to local governments and land trusts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve parks and protect land with perpetual conservation easements.

About $226,000 in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for three projects including Charles County’s acquisition of 4.5 acres of land that will become a recreational park in the future.

Additionally, $1.5 million in Rural Legacy funding was approved for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on five properties, totaling 365 acres:

• The Cecil Land Trust will acquire a 37-acre easement on a farm within the Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area. The easement will protect a forested steam buffer along Principio Creek. 

• In the Baltimore County Coastal Rural Legacy Area, the County will conserve 34 acres of agricultural and forested land with an easement that will protect a forested buffer along an unnamed tributary to the Bird River, which flows directly into the Chesapeake Bay.

• A 116-acre farm in the Carrollton Manor Rural Legacy Area will be preserved by an easement held by Frederick County, including protection of stream buffers along a cold-water stream in the Monocacy River watershed.

• Queen Anne’s County will acquire two conservation easements on adjoining farms totaling 177 acres in the Foreman Branch Rural Legacy Area. These easements will protect productive agricultural lands and 3,400 feet of forested stream buffers along Pearl Creek and the Chester River. 

All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works February 26, 2025 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 36 locally designated areas throughout Maryland. The Rural Legacy Program, along with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, have recently earned the State of Maryland a national recognition from the American Farmland Trust. 

A recent survey conducted by the American Farmland Trust ranks Maryland among the top five states in both the total number of acres protected and the total number of easements acquired through purchased conservation easements. This recognition underscores Maryland’s ongoing commitment to preserving its agricultural heritage and ensuring the long-term viability of farming communities.

Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities. 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. The program is funded by a property transfer tax.

News on grants approved for Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs is available on DNR’s Land News webpage.