Governor Ehrlich Announces $26 Million In Rural Legacy Program Grant Awards
Funds will preserve land across the State

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MONKTON —Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. today announced $26 million in Fiscal Year 2007 Rural Legacy Program grant awards to area land trusts and local governments. This year’s appropriation is nearly twice the allocation for FY ’06, which will permanently protect 4,535 acres of Maryland’s landscape from development.

“The Rural Legacy Program is exceptional because it allows local governments and non-profits to identify and plan for preservation at the local level, through a grassroots process,” said Governor Ehrlich. “This community-up approach also supports more efficient and effective state government, allowing us to preserve more land and make Maryland a greener, better place to live.”
The decision process for Rural Legacy grants includes review by the 11-member Rural Legacy Advisory Committee and the Rural Legacy Board, which is comprised of Maryland’s Agriculture, Natural Resources and Planning secretaries. The review process incorporates the direction of Governor Ehrlich and the Board of Public Works to focus on conservation investments that make significant contributions to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and Maryland’s most significant resources.

Under the Ehrlich Administration, Maryland’s land preservation efforts have been targeted to protect the state’s most important natural, agricultural and forest resources, and to preserve land that helps protect and improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The Administration has preserved nearly 70,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land and targeted another 45,000 for future preservation. Currently, one in every five acres in Maryland is permanently protected.

To achieve these successes, Maryland has several land preservation programs in addition to the Rural Legacy Program including, Program Open Space, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Maryland Environmental Trust, Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, and Maryland Historical Trust. The State has budgeted record program open space funding for two consecutive years.

The following proposed FY’07 Rural Legacy Program Grant Awards are scheduled to go before the Board of Public Works in October for final approval.

County	Rural Legacy Area	FY 2007 Grant Award
Baltimore County	Gunpowder	$500,000.00
	Piney Run	$3,700,000.00
Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Talbot Counties	Agricultural Security Corridor	$750,000.00
Carroll County	Little Pipe Creek	$1,000,000.00
	Upper Patapsco Watershed	$500,000.00
Cecil County	Fair Hill	$3,000,000.00
Charles County	Zekiah Watershed	$3,000,000.00
Dorchester County	Nanticoke	$2,100,000.00
Frederick County	Carrollton Manor	$500,000.00
	Mid-Maryland Frederick	$750,000.00
Garrett County	Bear Creek	$1,000,000.00
Harford County	Lower Deer Creek	$2,000,000.00
Montgomery County	Mid-Maryland Montgomery	$1,200,000.00
Queen Anne’s County	Foreman Branch	$750,000.00
	Lands End	$1,000,000.00
St. Mary’s County	Mattapany	$1,500,000.00
Washington County	Mid-Maryland Washington	$1,800,000.00
Wicomico County	Quantico Creek	$750,000.00
Worcester County	Coastal Bays	$250,000.00
TOTAL		$26,050,000.00

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September 18, 2006

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 18,000 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