Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure and CREP Permanent Easement programs
A passive park is planned along Saltworks Creek in Annapolis. Photo by by Paul Henning, submitted to the 2019 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
The Board of Public Works today approved more than $4.85 million in grants to local governments from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve recreation and protect a farm with a perpetual conservation easement.
About $3.3 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for twelve projects, including grants to Howard County to fund the construction of a new visitor center in the Patapsco Female Institute, improvements at the B&O Railroad Museum, and building renovations at West Friendship Park to provide indoor recreation programs. The West Friendship Park project is also supported by $400,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program, which was also approved at this meeting.
Also approved was a grant for Anne Arundel County to acquire 27 acres of land for a passive park near Saltworks Creek.
Other Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program funds included a $500,000 grant to replace a playground at Beltsville West Park in Prince George’s County.
Additionally, $650,000 was approved to acquire a permanent conservation easement through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) on a 130-acre farm in Washington County. This easement includes protection of water quality by maintaining 6,400 feet of forested buffers along Conococheague Creek and Rush Run.
All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works April 2, 2025 meeting agenda. The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman.
Program Open Space – Local provides funding for county and municipal governments for the planning, acquisition, and development of recreational land or facilities. Established under the Department of Natural Resources in 1969, Program Open Space (divided into Local and Stateside programs), along with other state land conservation programs, symbolizes Maryland’s long-term commitment to conserving our natural resources while providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for all citizens. The program is funded by a property transfer tax.
The Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program was funded in FY 2022 and FY 2023 to provide grant funds primarily to local governments for park and recreation projects.
Since 2009, Maryland’s permanent easement option with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has acquired, from willing landowners, conservation easements that require continued maintenance of Conservation Reserve Program practices after the expiration of the federal contracts.
A recent survey conducted by the American Farmland Trust ranks Maryland among the top five states in both the total number of acres protected and the total number of easements acquired through purchased conservation easements. This recognition underscores Maryland’s ongoing commitment to preserving its agricultural heritage and ensuring the long-term viability of farming communities.
News on grants approved for Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs is available on DNR’s Land News webpage.