Board also approves Program Open Space – Stateside funds for protection of forested properties
The Department of Natural Resources will add forested property to Wills Mountain State Park in Allegany County, which is planned to open later in 2026. Maryland DNR photo.
Maryland 2026 - The Board of Public Works today approved more than $1.8 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments for park lights, trail, and land conservation in Allegany, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Dorchester, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, and Washington counties.
More than $1.35 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for nine projects, including new field lighting at the Cresaptown Sports Complex in Allegany County, LED lighting conversion at Reisterstown Regional Park in Baltimore County, and creation of a new 2-mile trail for hiking and biking within Rock Creek Regional Park and North Branch Stream Valley Park in Montgomery County.
In land conservation, $271,000 of Rural Legacy program funding was approved to acquire a permanent conservation easement in the Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area of Cecil County. The Cecil Land Trust will preserve a 65-acre farm and its 1,200 feet of forested stream buffers along a tributary to Little North East Creek.
The Board also approved $213,000 in funding for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Permanent Conservation Easement acquisition on 35 acres in Queen Anne’s County. This easement will protect scenic views on the Wye River, as well as stream buffers along tributaries to the river, providing over 4,000 feet of forested buffers. This forested property is also likely habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species of birds (FIDS), which require large tracts of land to successfully nest.
In addition, the Board approved $399,750 in Program Open Space – Stateside funds for the acquisition of a Forest Legacy easement on a 53-acre forested property in Cecil County and a 195-acre expansion of Wills Mountain State Park in Allegany County. The Cecil County conservation project will help preserve water quality in the Lower Elk River watershed, as well as habitat for fish and wildlife. The Allegany County acquisition will expand public recreational opportunities and provide forest cover for bird habitat.
More detailed information on these and other items is available in the Board of Public Works May 6, 2026 meeting agenda.
The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman.
Information about these Maryland recreation and land conservation programs:
Program Open Space – Stateside preserves natural areas for public recreation and watershed and wildlife protection across Maryland through fee simple and conservation easement acquisitions. Fee simple acquisitions are managed by the department as state parks, forests, and wildlife and fisheries management areas.
Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities. Funds are allocated annually to every county and Baltimore City and projects funded are determined by the local government. Established under the Department of Natural Resources in 1969, Program Open Space, 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.
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 national recognition from the American Farmland Trust.
Since 2009, Maryland’s permanent easement option with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has acquired, from willing landowners, conservation easements that require continued maintenance of Conservation Reserve Program practices after the expiration of the federal contracts.
More news on funding approved for Program Open Space, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, Greenspace Equity, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs is available on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Land News webpage.
