The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced a significant expansion of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) permanent easement program. This initiative, previously limited to nine counties, is now accessible to landowners throughout Maryland with existing federal CREP contracts. The expansion, aimed at preserving agricultural land and protecting waterways, was authorized by the Board of Public Works on January 3.
Josh Kurtz, Secretary of the Maryland DNR, emphasized the program’s numerous benefits, including reducing sediment and nutrient runoff into local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. The program also focuses on enhancing wildlife habitats near streams and wetlands and equipping coastal areas for climate resilience against flooding. Kurtz highlighted that 12,738 acres have already been protected under the program, with expectations for a significant increase following this expansion.
CREP, established to support the state’s goal of planting forest riparian buffers, targets the reduction of nutrient pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus that adversely affect the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers participating in the program enter a contract with the federal government to remove environmentally sensitive land from active production for 10-15 years, implementing best management practices. Maryland’s permanent easement program compensates farmers for maintaining these practices indefinitely.
Best management practices under CREP include establishing forested buffers along streams, creating wetlands, and enhancing wildlife habitats. The Maryland DNR determines specific practices and compensation based on each property’s unique attributes.
Since its inception in 2009, the CREP easement program has been limited to counties with the highest sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus loading to streams and the Chesapeake Bay. The statewide expansion is set to broaden the impact of permanently conserved lands across Maryland.
Landowners interested in the CREP permanent easement program must first contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, operating through local soil conservation district offices. For more information, Katrina Tucker, Conservation Easement Supervisor at the Maryland DNR, can be contacted at 410-260-8408 or via email at katrinal.tucker@maryland.gov.
