Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $727,793 for Conservation Easements and Parkland in Maryland Counties

Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $727,793 for Conservation Easements
and Parkland in Maryland Counties
Land Conservation Programs Will Protect Three Miles of Riparian Buffers

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Underscoring his support for Maryland’s land conservation programs, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. today announced Board of Public Works approval of $727,793 for projects in Anne Arundel, Caroline, Frederick, and Worcester Counties.
The Board is comprised of Governor Ehrlich, Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp.

“Maryland has the most successful and comprehensive land conservation programs in the nation,” said Governor Ehrlich. “These programs preserve prime farmlands and rural landscapes, safeguard wildlife habitats, expand outdoor recreational opportunities, and improve water quality by protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

A total allocation of $727,793 will fund five projects in four counties:
Anne Arundel: The Board approved $80,750 in Program Open Space funds to acquire a 1.2-acre parcel on the west side of Beverly Triton Beach Park. Besides adding mature woodland and a field to the park, this acquisition will curtail incidents of trespassing, dumping, and poaching by eliminating an uncontrolled entrance from Shesley Road. The 341-acre park, intended to serve mostly as a nature preserve, is largely wooded, contains ponds and wetlands, and has more than a mile of shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay above the Rhode and West Rivers.

Caroline County: The Board approved $47,323 in Program Open Space funds to acquire a perpetual easement through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program on 33.2 acres of forested and vegetative buffers along 1891 feet of Faulkner Branch in the Marshyhope watershed. The acquisition will help to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in three tributaries and the Chesapeake Bay. DNR and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will jointly hold the easement title.

Frederick County: The Board approved $406,953 in Rural Legacy Program funds to acquire a conservation easement on 148 acres of wooded and agricultural land in the Mid-Maryland Frederick Rural Legacy Area. In addition to preserving prime farmland and augmenting a greenbelt west of Middletown, this acquisition will protect buffers along 3700 feet of Catoctin Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. DNR, Frederick County, and the Mid-Maryland Land Trust Association will jointly hold the easement title.

Worcester County: The Board approved $168,073 in Rural Legacy Program funds to acquire a conservation easement on 170 acres of the Rantz Farm on Snow Hill Road. The acquisition, which adjoins other protected lands, improves water quality by protecting forested buffers along 6000 feet of Spring Hill Branch and provides strategic conservation of significant forest resources and green infrastructure. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Lower Shore Land Trust will jointly hold the easement title.

Worcester County: The Board approved $24,694 in Program Open Space funds to acquire a perpetual easement through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program on 29.2 acres of forested buffers along 4880 feet of Pike’s Creek to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff flowing into Chincoteague Bay. DNR and the Lower Shore Land Trust will jointly hold the easement title.