$3 Million Awarded Under Rural Legacy, Carroll & Frederick Counties Among Recipients

A Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) press release (2018-12-19) announced that the Board of Public Works approved $3 million in grants for the Rural Legacy Program. The approval included funding for two county projects in Carroll and Frederick Counties.

The Rural Legacy Program provides funding provides funding to local governments and land trusts to preserve contiguous tracts of land that support natural resource-based industries. The Program also supports agriculture, forestry, and environmental protection. The Program encourages local governments land trusts to work together, often in the form of public-private partnerships.

From the DNR press release:

“The continued boost in funding for the Rural Legacy Program has helped significantly expand our ability to preserve and protect Maryland’s unique landscape and watersheds,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “Combined with the continued generosity and stewardship of landowners and partners, this support will yield positive benefits for generations to come.”

The following projects are funded with today’s vote:

  • Carroll County will acquire two separate conservation easements totaling more than 165 acres. These properties include more than 5,800 linear feet of forested and vegetated stream buffers on tributaries to the Monocacy River and Gunpowder Falls. …
  • Frederick County will acquire a 298.58-acre conservation easement to protect productive agricultural and forest lands, provide viewshed protection to Catoctin and Sugarloaf mountains and Buckeystown Pike as well as riparian buffers along the Monocacy River.

The press release indicated that there are currently 32 locally-designated rural legacy areas in Maryland.

Useful Links

Rural Legacy Program Webpage

Learn about other important land preservation programs, like Program Open Space, at the MACo January 2019 Winter Conference. The panel More Than a TV Show: The Real Issues of “Parks and Recreation” will discuss the importance Program Open Space, including the benefits of full funding by the State. The panel will take place on Thursday, January 3, 2019, from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: