The Maryland Board of Public Works approved nearly $1.4 million in Rural Legacy Program funding January 7, 2026, for conservation easement acquisitions in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, protecting forested land, agricultural areas, stream buffers and shoreline along tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. The grants, awarded through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, support local efforts to preserve working landscapes and natural resources in Southern Maryland’s rural areas.
The Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board received funding to acquire a 90-acre conservation easement on forested land along Wash Hance Road in Calvert County, located within the Calvert Creeks Rural Legacy Area. The easement protects scenic viewsheds and approximately 1,700 feet of forested stream buffers along tributaries of Parkers Creek, which flows directly into the Chesapeake Bay. This acquisition safeguards water quality and habitat in a region where development pressures and agricultural activity intersect with sensitive coastal ecosystems.
In St. Mary’s County, the same organization secured funding for a 57-acre easement in the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area. The protected land includes valuable forest and agricultural areas along with 2,800 feet of forested buffers along the shoreline of McKay’s Cove, a tributary of the Potomac River. The easement helps maintain the rural character of southern St. Mary’s County while preserving shoreline vegetation that filters runoff and supports aquatic life in the Potomac River watershed.
The Rural Legacy Program, established in 1997, conserves large working landscapes in 36 locally designated areas across Maryland. It focuses on protecting farmland, forests and natural features through voluntary easements with willing landowners. The program operates alongside the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation and has earned national recognition from the American Farmland Trust for its effectiveness in farmland conservation.
The Board of Public Works, composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman, also approved more than $7.5 million in Program Open Space – Local funding for recreational projects statewide, including improvements to parks and facilities in Baltimore City, Howard County, Washington County and Wicomico County. No Program Open Space – Local projects were approved for Calvert or St. Mary’s counties in this round. The Board additionally approved a short-term lease extension for the Days Cove rubble fill in Baltimore County to allow continued operations while permits and community concerns are addressed, with plans for eventual closure and public use.
Program Open Space, created in 1969 and funded by a portion of the state property transfer tax, provides grants to local governments for planning, acquiring and developing recreational land and facilities. The Rural Legacy Program complements these efforts by targeting permanent conservation of rural lands. Details on all approved projects appear in the Board of Public Works January 7, 2026, meeting agenda.
Southern Maryland benefits from these programs as they support the region’s mix of agriculture, forestry, waterfront properties and natural habitats. Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, with extensive coastlines and rural character, rely on such funding to balance development with conservation, particularly along waterways that contribute to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River systems.
