Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval Of Rural Legacy Easements In Western Maryland
ANNAPOLIS — Governor Robert L. Ehrlich today announced Board of Public Works approval for $747,645 in Rural Legacy Program funds to preserve 156 acres in the Mid-Maryland Frederick Rural Legacy Area in Frederick County.“Today’s acquisition ensures that generations of Marylanders can visit and appreciate some our state’s most treasured historical sites,” Governor Ehrlich said.
The acquisition of this easement will help meet Frederick County’s goals to preserve prime farmland by retaining 200,000 acres for agricultural use, with at least a minimum of 100,000 acres to be preserved through permanent easement by the year 2010.
The easement will add to over 4,000 acres of already protected land. Protection of this property will contribute to the farming based economy of the area. Currently, the farm located on the easement produces row crops used for feed for their dairy operation in the region. A Total Resource Management Plan will be implemented on the property.
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 April 12, 2004