Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, and Rural Legacy programs
Rural Legacy Program funds will acquire an easement to protect 1,400 feet of forested buffer along Tuckahoe Creek, a tributary to the Choptank River and the Chesapeake Bay, and also preserve scenic views along Tuckahoe Road. Maryland DNR photo.
The Board of Public Works today approved more than $4.7 million in grants to local governments and land trusts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve park facilities and conserve land in Allegany, Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Prince George’s, and Washington counties.
About $2.2 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for nine projects, including more than $1.2 million for Baltimore County to improve both Sparks Park and Catonsville Community Park with new pickleball courts. Additionally, Sparks Park will purchase and construct playground equipment and Catonsville Community Park will repair its paved trails.
Frederick County will receive $350,000 to construct a community center, shelters, trails, parking lot, and roads at Othello Regional Park. In addition, Prince George’s is receiving $360,000 to acquire 9 acres of woods adjacent to Huntington Park North in Bowie. The new land will expand the existing park amenities by the creation of a natural surface trail loop on the site.
Also approved was $100,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program to purchase and install fencing for two baseball fields at Sharp Road Park in Caroline County.
Additionally, the Board approved nearly $2.4 million in in Rural Legacy funding for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on four properties, totaling 760 acres:
- In Caroline County, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will acquire a 104-acre easement in the Agricultural Security Corridor – Tuckahoe Rural Legacy Area. The easement will protect 1,400 feet of forested buffer along Tuckahoe Creek, a tributary to the Choptank River and the Chesapeake Bay, and also preserve scenic views along Tuckahoe Road.
- In the Fair Hill Rural Legacy Area in Cecil County, the Cecil County Land Trust will conserve 45 acres of productive agricultural and forested land with an easement that protects 1,600 feet of forested stream buffers along tributaries to the Susquehanna River.
- The Conservation Fund is conserving 526 acres in Dorchester County’s Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area that will substantially contribute to the permanent protection of rural and working lands in the Nanticoke River watershed. More than 500 acres of agricultural land will be managed by a Soil Conservation and Water Quality Plan, as required by the easement. The easement will also protect the scenic viewshed along Middletown Branch Road.
- Carroll County government will add 85 acres of preserved land in the Little Pipe Creek Rural Legacy Area with an easement that protects significant wildlife habitat and 5,000 feet of forested stream buffers along Piney Creek and its tributaries on the property, all of which flow to the Upper Monocacy River.
All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works July 2, 2025 meeting agenda. The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman.
Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities. Established under the Department of Natural Resources in 1969, Program Open Space (divided into Local and Stateside programs), along with other state land conservation programs, symbolizes Maryland’s long-term commitment to conserving our natural resources while providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for all citizens. The program is funded by a property transfer tax.
The Rural Legacy Program, created in 1997, conserves large working landscapes across 36 locally designated areas throughout Maryland. The Rural Legacy Program, along with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, have recently earned the State of Maryland a national recognition from the American Farmland Trust.
More news on grants approved for Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs is available on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Land News webpage.
