Funding from DNR’s Program Open Space will enable Baltimore County to purchase waterfront property for a new park and help Carroll County improve three parks
Located on the northern end of St. Mary’s County, the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area includes 12 miles of Patuxent River shoreline. Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust will get funding to conserve 136 acres of forested land and protect more than a mile of forested stream buffers. Maryland DNR photo.
The Board of Public Works today approved more than $15.7 million in grants to local governments and land trusts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve recreational opportunities and protect land with perpetual conservation easements.
More than $14.2 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for 12 projects including several in Baltimore, Carroll, and Montgomery counties.
- A $10 million grant will enable Baltimore County to acquire more than 84 waterfront acres along Seneca Creek in Bowley’s Quarters. The site will be developed into a park to be named Carroll Island Park.
- In Carroll County, $1.7 million will be used to improve three parks: Millard Cooper Park (expanding parking), the Carroll County Sports Complex (reconstructing fields, adding sidewalks and bleachers), and Melvin Miller Memorial Park (building a new pavilion).
- Montgomery County will use its $2 million grant at RedGate Park, where plans include the construction of picnic pavilions, a dog park, walking paths and other amenities.
Funds from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program were approved for Frederick County. This $925,000 grant will fund the construction of a skate spot at Middletown Community Park; picnic shelters, multi-sports courts, and paved hiker/biker trails at Old National Pike District Park; a children’s basketball hoop array at Wiles Branch Par;, electrical and water line improvements at Woodsboro Regional Park; and a sensory trail at Catoctin Creek Nature Center that will feature tactile signs, Braille panels, sculptures, and guide ropes for visually impaired visitors.
Additionally, the Board approved $577,000 in Rural Legacy funding for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on two properties, totaling 155 acres:
- In Baltimore County, the Land Preservation Trust will acquire an 18-acre easement in the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area. The easement will preserve productive agricultural land that is upstream of the Loch Raven Reservoir, a source of drinking water for the Baltimore Metropolitan Area.
- In the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area in St. Mary’s County, the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust will conserve 136 acres of forested land with an easement that will protect more than a mile of forested stream buffers along tributaries in the Patuxent River watershed.
All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works April 23, 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 Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program was funded with $85 million in both Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2023 to provide grant funds primarily to local governments for park and recreation projects.
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.
A recent survey conducted by the American Farmland Trust ranks Maryland among the top five states in both the total number of acres protected and the total number of easements acquired through purchased conservation easements. This recognition underscores Maryland’s ongoing commitment to preserving its agricultural heritage and ensuring the long-term viability of farming communities.
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 DNR’s Land News webpage.
