Funds were approved to acquire a permanent conservation easement through the Rural Legacy program on a 224-acre farm in the Mid-Maryland Frederick Rural Legacy Area. Bordering South Mountain to the east, this Rural Legacy Area is within the viewshed of the Appalachian Trail. Maryland DNR photo,.
Maryland 2026 - The Board of Public Works approved $6.5 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments and land trusts for recreation and land conservation in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Washington counties.
The Board also approved $2.9 million in Program Open Space – Stateside and Park System Capital Improvement and Acquisition funds for three acquisitions protecting more than 50 acres statewide. This money will be used to support additions to Savage River State Forest in Garrett County and Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County. Also funded is a conservation easement acquisition in Washington County.
More than $2.5 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for 11 projects including funds to Howard County for the acquisition of four acres adjacent to the Patuxent River to expand the Patuxent Greenway – connecting up two parcels in this area of the Greenway, and a grant to Talbot County to install a new playground at Home Run Baker Sports Complex.
Harford County had multiple projects approved – construction of multipurpose fields, walking trails, basketball and pickleball courts, and parking at the Norrisville Recreation Complex, improvements to the batting cages, locker rooms and lobby area at the Emmorton Recreation and Tennis Center, and renovation of a pier and trails at Mariner Point Park.
Other grants approved include $3 million from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program for projects in Charles County. The funds will be used to replace the playground and field lighting at Laurel Springs Regional Park. 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.
Additionally, $770,800 was approved to acquire a permanent conservation easement through the Rural Legacy program on a 224-acre farm in the Mid-Maryland Frederick Rural Legacy Area. This easement includes protection of 10,000 feet of forested stream buffers along Broad Run, Catoctin Creek and an associated tributary.
The Board also approved $200,000 in Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) funding for a conservation easement acquisition in Queen Anne’s County. The 31-acre easement will protect 2,200 feet of forested buffers along Island Creek in the Southeast Creek watershed.
More information and details on these items is in the Board of Public Works January 28, 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.
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.
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.
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.
