Program Open Space – Stateside funds were approved for the acquisition of 1.4 acres of land adjacent to the Warrior Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Allegany County. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.
Maryland 2026 - The Board of Public Works today approved more than $190,000 in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments for a trail loop in Snow Hill and land conservation in Cecil, Talbot, and Worcester counties. The Board also approved two donations of conservation easements to the Maryland Environment Trust and a land trust in Queen Anne’s County.
In addition, the Board approved $11,500 in Program Open Space – Stateside funds for the acquisition of 1.4 acres of land adjacent to Warrior Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Allegany County. The acquisition will expand public access for recreational opportunities, such as hunting, hiking and wildlife viewing.
About $82,500 in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for two projects. Talbot County received funding to complete its 2027 Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan, and Worcester County received funds to design and construct a 1.2-mile walking trail loop at John Walter Smith Park, to add a new opportunity for outdoor recreation.
Nearly $19,000 was approved for a Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program project in Cecil County. The county will improve the usability of Calvert Regional Park by adding benches, tables, trash cans and field goals. 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.
For land conservation, the Board approved $80,000 in funding for a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Permanent Conservation Easement acquisition on a riverfront property in Worcester County. The 42-acre conservation easement, of which six acres are included by way of landowner donation, will protect a combined 2,500 feet of forested stream buffers along the Pocomoke River and one of its tributaries.
Also, two donated conservation easements totaling 400 acres were approved to be held by the Maryland Environmental Trust jointly with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. The easements on the Queen Anne’s County farm properties will protect prime agricultural soils as well as forested buffers along creeks in the Corsica River watershed.
More detailed information on these items is available in the Board of Public Works April 1, 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.
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.
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.
The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is the State’s land trust. Established in 1967 and holding over 1,100 easements on 143,000 acres statewide, it is one of the oldest and most successful land trusts in the country. From the Chesapeake Bay to the mountains of Garrett County, MET works with landowners and local land trusts to protect Maryland’s most treasured landscapes and natural resources as a legacy for future generations.
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.
