Charles County will use funds to preserve two easements protecting more than a mile of forested stream buffers in the Zekiah Watershed Rural Legacy Area, an important ecological area for threatened and endangered plants and animals. Maryland DNR photo.
Maryland 2026 - The Board of Public Works approved more than $3.7 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments for parks and land conservation in Allegany, Caroline, Charles, Howard, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, and Washington counties. is considered by the Smithsonian Institute to be one of the most important ecological areas on the East Coast.
More than $1 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for three projects: the City of College Park (Prince George’s County) will acquire 1.59 acres to create a new park for passive recreation and to demonstrate urban forestry; Washington County will replace a worn and outdated playground at Marty Snook Park; and Caroline County will continue to construct trails, fields, and parking at North County Regional Park in Greensboro.
More than $1.6 million was approved for Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program projects in three counties: Caroline County will continue to add trail overlooks, shelters, and playground equipment at North County Regional Park, complementing their POS Local project at the same property (above); Allegany County will add improvements such as an ADA accessible kinetic park and walking trails to the Willowbrook Outdoor Wellness Center in Cumberland; and Howard County is building its first garden park – called Longwood Public Gardens and located in Glenwood. The park will provide pollinator habitat and an educational and peaceful setting for visitors. The Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program was funded in FY 2022 and FY 2023 to provide grant funds primarily to local governments for park and recreation projects.
In land conservation, $774,400 was approved to acquire permanent conservation easements through the Rural Legacy program in Charles County. The county will preserve two properties totaling 180 acres in the Zekiah Watershed Rural Legacy Area, an important ecological area for threatened and endangered plants and animals. The easements protect more than a mile of forested stream buffers in its watershed.
The Board also approved $253,000 in funding for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Permanent Conservation Easement acquisition on 42 acres in Queen Anne’s County. This acquisition will protect the scenic views along the road and 1,500 feet of forested stream buffers along a tributary in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed.
More detailed information on these and other items is available in the Board of Public Works March 4, 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 – 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.
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.
