State Surpasses 100,000 Acres in Land Conserved Through Rural Legacy Program
The Board of Public Works approved new conservation easements in five counties Wednesday totaling 795 acres – meaning the total number of acres conserved under the state’s Rural Legacy Program has now surpassed 100,000.
“We have successfully worked with local partners, farmers and other landowners to conserve and maintain the rural character of our state for future generations,” Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio told the BPW, noting that it’s the 20th anniversary of the Rural Legacy Program.
The program provides funding for the state to purchase large tracts of land to enhance the protection of natural resources.
Former Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D), who launched the Rural Legacy Program, was on hand to accept congratulations from the board members. Glendening, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said, “was way ahead of his time” when it came to preserving open space.
But Glendening preferred to give credit to one of his predecessors, the late Gov. Harry R. Hughes (D), who died earlier this year. Glendening said Hughes was the state’s first chief executive to make protecting the Chesapeake Bay a top priority.
“We’re really standing on Gov. Hughes’ shoulders,” he said.
The easements presented for approval Wednesday by DNR cover territory in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, St. Mary’s, Worcester and Washington counties.
Josh Kurtz
Founding editor
Founding Editor Josh Kurtz is a veteran chronicler of Maryland politics and government. He began covering the State House in 1995 for The Gazette newspapers, and has been writing about state and local politics ever since. He was an editor at Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, for eight years, and for eight years was the editor of E&E Daily, which covers energy and environmental policy on Capitol Hill. For 6 1/2 years Kurtz wrote a weekly column on state politics for Center Maryland and has written for several other Maryland publications as well. Kurtz regularly gives speeches and appears on TV and radio shows to discuss Maryland politics.
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