The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has allocated nearly $2.9 million in grants to local governments and land trusts to enhance recreational spaces and secure conservation easements in Southern Maryland. These funds, approved by the Board of Public Works, will go toward the development of a new recreation center in Anne Arundel County and the preservation of rural land in St. Mary’s County.
The largest portion of the funding, approximately $2.3 million from Program Open Space – Local, will be used for six projects across the state. One of the key projects includes a grant for the development of the new Edgewater Recreation Center in Anne Arundel County. This center, which will provide a variety of indoor recreational opportunities, will be created by renovating an existing building. Planned features of the facility include fitness classes, basketball and pickleball courts, and an indoor playground.
Program Open Space – Local provides grants to county and municipal governments for the acquisition, planning, and development of recreational land and facilities. This funding source plays a crucial role in expanding recreational opportunities throughout Maryland.
In addition to recreational development, nearly $600,000 in Rural Legacy funding has been earmarked to secure conservation easements on two properties in St. Mary’s County, totaling 249 acres. The Rural Legacy Program focuses on preserving large working landscapes and rural lands across Maryland.
The Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board will use the funds to preserve a 145-acre property within the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area. The tract includes agricultural land, forested areas, and 3,800 feet of riparian stream buffers along Carthagena Creek and St. George’s Creek, both of which feed into the Potomac River. The easement, supported by the U.S. Department of the Navy and St. Mary’s County, aims to maintain the rural character of lands situated beneath the restricted airspace designated for the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Webster Outlying Field.
In the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area, the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust will use funding to acquire a conservation easement on a 104-acre farm. This property contains 5,500 feet of forested stream buffers along tributaries of Locks Swamp Creek in the Trent Hall Creek watershed, and Persimmon Creek, which flows into the Patuxent River. Additionally, this easement will help protect habitats for forest interior-dwelling bird species, which require large, undisturbed forested areas to successfully nest.
The conservation easements secured by the Rural Legacy Program play a significant role in protecting Maryland’s rural landscapes, particularly in areas where development pressure may threaten open spaces. These easements ensure that valuable agricultural and forested lands remain intact, protecting both the environment and the cultural heritage of rural communities.
The Board of Public Works, which is composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman, approved these grants during its meeting on October 16, 2024. All funded projects are listed in the meeting agenda.
The Rural Legacy Program was established in 1997 to conserve large working landscapes in designated rural areas across Maryland. It aims to protect Maryland’s natural resources while supporting the state’s agricultural and forestry economies. To date, the program has conserved thousands of acres of rural land across 36 locally designated areas.
Program Open Space, which was created under the DNR in 1969, provides funding for the acquisition and development of parks and open spaces throughout the state. The program is divided into two components: Local and Stateside. Together with other land conservation initiatives, Program Open Space represents Maryland’s long-term commitment to protecting natural resources while providing outdoor recreational opportunities for residents.
