Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $477,503 in Rural Legacy Funds for Worcester County
770 Acres Below Snow Hill Receive Protection
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Continuing his commitment to protecting rural lands on the Eastern Shore, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., today announced Board of Public Works approval of $477,503 in Rural Legacy Program funds to acquire conservation easements on 770 acres in Worcester County.
“We are making encouraging progress in preserving the rural areas of Worcester County,” said Governor Ehrlich. “For example, the easements approved today continue our efforts to link corridors of protected land that stretch from Pocomoke State Forest to the E. A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area on Chincoteague Bay.”
The $477,503 grant will fund two projects in the Coastal Bays Rural Legacy Area.
The Board approved $340,990 to acquire a conservation easement on 634 acres owned by Ryton Enterprises, LLC. This easement provides strategic conservation of significant forest resources and green infrastructure. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Worcester County, and the Lower Shore Land Trust jointly hold the easement title.
The Board also approved $136,513 to acquire a conservation easement on 136 wooded acres of the Rantz Farm. The property adjoins other protected lands and provides strategic conservation of significant forest resources and green infrastructure. DNR and the Lower Shore Land Trust jointly hold the easement title.
The Rural Legacy Program is designed to preserve large blocks of contiguous open space that are among Maryland’s most valuable because of their multiple agricultural, forest, natural, and cultural resources. To protect these resources, the Rural Legacy Program acts through local governments and private land-trust sponsors to purchase conservation easements from willing property owners.
Posted June 23, 2004