Governor Ehrlich announces BPW approval of Rural Legacy easement
ANNAPOLIS — Governor Robert L. Ehrlich today announced Board of Public Works approval for $280,197.11 in Rural Legacy Program funds to preserve 100 acres in Barnesville, Montgomery County.
“Today’s acquisition reiterates my commitment to preserving land that is most beneficial to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay,” Governor Ehrlich said.
The easement will protect active farmland, significant forest resources, non-tidal wetlands and wildlife habitat. Additionally, water quality will be improved by establishing buffers along a headwater tributary of the Dry Seneca Creek that runs through the property. Dry Seneca Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River, which is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The property is composed of 10 wooded acres, 90 agricultural acres, 5 acres of non-tidal wetlands, and 1,000 linear feet of stream buffers.
The Rural Legacy Program encourages State and local governments to work in conjunction with private landowners and trusts to strategically preserve large, contiguous blocks of land across Maryland. Properties targeted for protection include endangered species habitat, agricultural lands, forests, stream buffers, and historic villages and battlefields.
The three-member Board of Public Works is comprised of Governor Ehrlich, Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp. The Board of Public Works meets semi-monthly and exercises the powers and duties prescribed in the Constitution or delegated to it by the General Assembly. The Board must approve expenditures of all sums appropriated through State loans authorized by the General Assembly. The Board also approves the expenditures of all General Funds and other funds appropriated for capital improvements, except those allotted for State roads, bridges, and highways.
Posted March 10, 2004