| Press Releases | DNR Press Room | Search DNR | DNR Home |
Governor Ehrlich Announces BPW Approval of $2.7 Million for Calvert and Prince George’s Counties
Conservation easement and environmentally sensitive lands acquired
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Reiterating his support for preserving environmentally sensitive lands, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. today announced Board of Public Works approval of $2,687,837 in Rural Legacy and Program Open Space funds for Calvert and Prince George’s Counties.“The pressures of development continue to be felt in many areas of the state,” said Governor Ehrlich. “Today’s approvals allow nearly five miles of riparian buffers and more than 500 environmentally valuable acres to be protected through one conservation easement and two acquisitions.”
The total allocation of $2,687,837 funds four projects in two counties:
Calvert County
- The Board approved $772,891 in Rural Legacy funds to acquire a conservation easement on 116 acres of the Campbell Farm in the Calvert Creeks Rural Legacy Area. The property, which lies on a peninsula between the Patuxent River and St. Leonard Creek, is two-thirds wooded and one-third agricultural, and its green-infrastructure rating is excellent. This acquisition protects the rural character of the area and more than a mile of riparian buffers along a stream that drains into St. Leonard Creek. Calvert County will hold the easement title.
- The Board approved $538,606 in Rural Legacy funds to acquire the 153-acre Goldstein Farm in the Calvert Creeks Rural Legacy Area. The property, nearly all wooded and used for timber production in accord with a forest management plan, has a green-infrastructure rating of excellent. This acquisition provides for public access trails to adjacent state-owned land and protects water quality by maintaining 4,200 feet of forested buffers along streams that flow into Parker Creek. Calvert County will hold the easement title.
Prince George’s County
- The Board approved $20,742 in Program Open Space funds to replace the existing wooden play equipment at the Cheverly Town Park playground with new equipment that meets current safety standards.
- The Board approved $1,355,598 in Rural Legacy funds to acquire the 241-acre Rogers property in the Patuxent Prince George’s Rural Legacy Area. The property, located on the Patuxent River, is more than four-fifths wooded and contains 32 acres of wetlands. This acquisition extends the Patuxent River Greenway, provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, and protects nearly three miles of stream and river buffers. Prince George’s County will hold the title.
DNR’s Program Open Space is a nationally recognized program that provides funding for Maryland’s state and local parks and conservation areas. More than 4,600 county and municipal park and conservation projects have been completed through the program, improving the quality of life for millions of Marylanders.
The Rural Legacy Program is designed to preserve large blocks of contiguous open space that are among Maryland’s most valuable lands 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.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov