9-03-2024 4:32am

MD. GRANTS $11M

Maryland announces $10.6 million in park improvement, land conservation grants

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced grants totaling $10.6 million that will be used by local governments and land trusts to improve parks, create new green spaces, and enhance existing protected areas.

The grants were approved by the Board of Public Works on August 28, 2024, and will fund a variety of projects across the state, including the acquisition of land for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Montgomery County.

The money will also support the restoration of existing parks and the creation of new ones, including at Taylor Park in Keedysville, which will include a multi-use sports court.

In addition, the grants will help to preserve 550 acres of land in three counties, including a 250-acre property in the Carrollton Manor Rural Legacy Area in Frederick County that will protect streams and wetlands.

A 108-acre property that straddles the Harford and Baltimore County line will be preserved by the Manor Conservancy in its Rural Legacy Area. This farm will be part of a large area of preserved lands within My Lady’s Manor, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The easement will protect scenic views along Old York Road, a historic byway.

A further $3.3 million in funding has been allocated to support the acquisition of conservation easements on four properties spanning three counties, including a 133-acre agricultural and forested property in the Deer Creek Rural Legacy Area in Harford County.

The easements will help to protect streams that flow into Deer Creek, which is a state-designated scenic river that feeds the Susquehanna River. The funding will also support the restoration of a 60-acre farm in the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area in Baltimore County, which will help to preserve views along Falls Road Scenic Byway and protect stream buffers in the watershed of Loch Raven Reservoir.

The Rural Legacy Program, which was established in 1997, aims to conserve large working landscapes across 35 locally designated areas throughout Maryland. The program is funded by the state and local governments, and supports the acquisition of land for parks, protected areas, and open space.

Photo: Deer Creek Rural Legacy Area in Harford County. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.