ANNAPOLIS — The Board of Public Works approved more than $3.3 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for outdoor recreation and land conservation projects in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Montgomery and Washington counties.
More than $2 million in Program Open Space – Local funding supports two recreation projects. Calvert County will receive funds to purchase 1.1 acres of waterfront property to expand the Calvert Marine Museum campus in Solomons. Potential future improvements include a boardwalk extension and enhanced greenspace for recreation and educational purposes.
Montgomery County will use its allocation to improve Stonehedge Local Park by renovating the playground and basketball court and constructing a community garden.
In land conservation, $1.26 million in Rural Legacy program funding will support permanent conservation easements in two designated areas. Anne Arundel County will acquire an easement to preserve a 136-acre farm in the Anne Arundel South Rural Legacy Area. The easement protects more than 3,000 feet of stream buffers along Lyons Creek and its tributaries in the Middle Patuxent watershed.
Washington County will acquire an easement on 61 acres of agricultural and forested land in the Mid-Maryland Washington Rural Legacy Area. This easement preserves 840 feet of forested stream buffers along tributaries to Marsh Run, which flows directly to the Potomac River.
The three-member Board of Public Works consists of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. More detailed information is available in the board’s June 3, 2026, meeting agenda.
Program Open Space – Local provides funding to county and municipal governments for planning, acquiring and developing recreational land or facilities. Funds are allocated annually to every county and Baltimore City, with projects determined locally. Established in 1969 under the Department of Natural Resources, the program is funded by a property transfer tax and supports Maryland’s commitment to conserving natural resources while providing outdoor recreation opportunities.
The Rural Legacy Program, created in 1997, conserves large working landscapes across 36 locally designated areas in Maryland. Along with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, it has received national recognition from the American Farmland Trust.
Additional information on funding 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.
