{"id":42151,"date":"2024-08-07T12:34:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T16:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=42151"},"modified":"2024-08-07T12:48:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T16:48:51","slug":"board-of-public-works-approves-6-million-for-recreation-and-land-preservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2024\/08\/07\/board-of-public-works-approves-6-million-for-recreation-and-land-preservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Board of Public Works Approves $6 Million for Recreation and Land Preservation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Funding includes $4 million for the Rural Legacy Program as well as support for projects in Howard and Cecil counties\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_42152\" style=\"width: 402px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Nanticoke-wetlands.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42152\" class=\" wp-image-42152\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Nanticoke-wetlands.jpg\" alt=\"Wetlands, water, fields\" width=\"392\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Nanticoke-wetlands.jpg 480w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Nanticoke-wetlands-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 392px) 100vw, 392px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-42152\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area, Dorchester County, contains a significant amount of the the state\u2019s wetlands. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A total of $1.8 million in\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/pages\/programopenspace\/home.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Program Open Space \u2013 Local<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0funding was approved for five projects. These include a Cecil County project to provide pickleball courts at Brantwood Regional Park, and renovations of Howard County\u2019s East Columbia Library Park, which includes basketball courts, fields and a playground. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/pages\/programopenspace\/home.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Program Open Space \u2013 Local<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than $4.2 million in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Pages\/RuralLegacy\/home.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rural Legacy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0funding was approved for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on seven properties across the state that total 975 acres:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will preserve 289 acres in the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/agsec_Sassafrasrla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Agricultural Security Corridor \u2013 Harvest Crescent Rural Legacy Area.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This Cecil County property includes 195 acres of farmland and provides scenic views along public roads.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An easement on a 55-acre forested property in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/AL_MountainRidge_rla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mountain Ridge Rural Legacy Area<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Conservation Fund will protect 186 acres in Dorchester County\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/HarrietTubman_rla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This wooded property, situated in the Fishing Bay watershed, also holds historical significance as part of the rural landscape traversed by Harriet Tubman.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additionally, The Nature Conservancy will protect another 100 acres in Dorchester County\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/nanticokerla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. 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\u2019s resource-based industries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An easement in Montgomery County\u2019s<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/UpperPatux_MOrla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Upper Patuxent River Watershed Rural Legacy Area <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">will preserve 202 acres that are adjacent to Patuxent River State Park and protect stream buffers along a tributary to the river.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Washington County will protect two farms totaling 143 acres in the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/land\/Documents\/RuralLegacy\/WA_MidMDrla.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mid-Maryland Washington Rural Legacy Area<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Rural Legacy Program, created in 1997, conserves large working landscapes across 35 locally designated areas throughout Maryland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">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\u2019s long-term commitment to conserving our natural resources while providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for all citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Funding includes $4 million for the Rural Legacy Program as well as support for projects in Howard and Cecil counties\u00a0 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 href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2024\/08\/07\/board-of-public-works-approves-6-million-for-recreation-and-land-preservation\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":243,"featured_media":42152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,23,12],"tags":[2955,5491,2934,5490,5487,5492,5488,3123,5489],"class_list":["post-42151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-appnews","category-land","category-parks","tag-board-of-public-works","tag-brantwood-regional-park","tag-cecil-county","tag-columbia","tag-dnr-acquisitions","tag-east-columbia-library-park","tag-nanticoke","tag-rural-legacy-program","tag-tubman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/243"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42151"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42157,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42151\/revisions\/42157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}