Board of Public Works Approves $1.8 Million for Recreation and Land Conservation in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, and Worcester Counties

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

Funding approved will allow Worcester County to conserve 128 acres in the Coastal Bays Rural Legacy Area, one of the most ecologically diverse Rural Legacy Areas in the state, encompassing farms, forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitats. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.

The Board of Public Works today approved more than $1.8 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 $800,000 in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for nine projects including athletic field improvements at the Allegany College of Maryland and for a new basketball court and other amenities at Allegany County’s Glendening Recreation Complex. Funds were also approved for the acquisition of 11.8 acres to expand Walkersville Community Park in Frederick County and for park improvements at four parks in Garrett County. 

Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities.

Additionally, $1 million in Rural Legacy funding was approved for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on three properties totalling 326 acres:

• The Lower Shore Land Trust will acquire a 100-acre easement within the Somerset County portion of the Dividing Creek Rural Legacy Area; The easement will protect agricultural and forested lands in the Manokin watershed, which support the local economy and provide scenic views along a public road.

• Worcester County will conserve 128 acres in the Coastal Bays Rural Legacy Area. The property is mostly forested and the conservation easement will protect stream buffers along tributaries to the Pocomoke River.

• Queen Anne’s County will acquire a conservation easement on 98 acres in the Foreman Branch Rural Legacy Area. This easement will preserve productive agricultural fields with soils designated as prime farmland and farmland of statewide importance. 

All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works January 29, 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. 

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.