Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program, Community Parks and Playgrounds, and Rural Legacy programs

The Conservation Fund is approved to protect a 121-acre farm that includes more than 1,200 feet of stream buffers along Church Creek in Dorchester County’s Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area. This landscape is an area lying largely in and adjacent to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, seen here with Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in the distance. Maryland DNR photo.

The Board of Public Works today approved $13 million in grants to local governments and land trusts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for community centers, playgrounds, and land conservation in Allegany, Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington, and Worcester counties.

About $6.6 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for 12 projects. Prince George’s County was approved for $5.6 million for two projects – to purchase 170 acres to expand Little Paint Branch Stream Valley Park near College Park, and to construct an addition to the Rollingcrest Chillum Community Center in Hyattsville. 

Carroll County is also getting funds for six projects including a playground replacement at Piney Run Park and interior renovations at Union Bridge Community Park Community Center. Funding was approved for Talbot County to build a new softball field at Home Run Baker Sports Complex and for Garrett County to renovate existing restrooms and to construct a new dog park at Grantsville Community Park.

Also approved was $255,000 from the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program to replace outdated playground equipment at Putty Hill Park in Baltimore County. This program was funded in FY 2022 and FY 2023 to provide grant funds primarily to local governments for park and recreation projects.

Another program, Community Parks and Playgrounds, was approved to award more than $2.8 million for 15 projects, including a new splash pad in Festival Park in Aberdeen and replacement of several outdated playground structures at Jesse Sutton Memorial Park in Greensboro, Helen Titter Park in Chesapeake City, Prospect Park in Mount Airy, and Byron Memorial Park in Williamsport. The Community Parks and Playgrounds program provides funding to municipal governments to restore existing and create new park and recreational facilities throughout the state. 

Additionally, the Board approved more than $3.2 million in Rural Legacy funding for local sponsors to acquire conservation easements on properties totaling 1,006 acres:

• The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy will acquire easements on two adjacent Caroline County properties totaling 220 acres in the Agricultural Security Corridor- Eastern Shore Heartland Rural Legacy Area. These easements will protect 7,400 feet of forested stream buffers along tributaries to the Choptank River and preserve scenic views along public roads near the Town of Preston.
• In Dorchester County’s Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area, The Conservation Fund will protect a 121-acre farm that includes more than 1,200 feet of stream buffers along Church Creek, a tributary of the Little Choptank River. The easement will also conserve the historic viewshed along two public roads in the landscape traversed by famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
• Charles County government will add 665 acres to the protected lands within the Nanjemoy-Mattawoman Forest Rural Legacy Area by acquiring three conservation easements, including one on a 538-acre parcel. These easements combined will preserve 4,300 feet of forested stream buffers and critical habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species of birds, which require large blocks of forest to successfully nest. 

All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works August 27, 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 Rural Legacy Program, created in 1997, conserves large working landscapes across 36 locally designated areas throughout Maryland. The Rural Legacy Program, along with the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, have recently earned the State of Maryland a national recognition from the American Farmland Trust.

More 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 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Land News webpage.