Rural Legacy Grants Awarded in St. Mary’s
Two areas in St. Mary’s County will receive Rural Legacy grants from the state of Maryland. The Huntersville Rural Legacy Area will receive $1,474,971, and the Mattapany Rural Legacy Area has been awarded a grant of $771,543.
The two St. Mary’s areas are among 17 in the state receiving funding. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced the grants in October 2017, saying that the Maryland Board of Public Works had unanimously adopted recommendations by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The funding will permanently protect more than 6,500 acres of working farms, forests, and open space in 18 Maryland counties.
Rural Legacy grants are for projects that include protecting productive farmland, scenic view sheds, natural habitat, wetlands, shorelines, and woodlands as well as historical, cultural, and natural resources.
“Our administration is committed to land conservation, preservation, and recreation, and I am very pleased to announce these new Rural Legacy Program grants, which will preserve and protect our most pristine agricultural, environmental, and historical areas,” Gov. Hogan said. “When I became governor, I promised to restore funding for our world-renowned land programs, like Program Open Space, and we have done just that. We are following through on our commitment.”
St. Mary’s County Commissioner Randy Guy (R) expressed his gratitude to the governor and Board of Public Works for the grants. “Part of our mission is to preserve our rural character. These grants will assist us in continuing our preservation efforts,” Commissioner Guy said.
The Rural Legacy Program was first established in 1997 and is designed to preserve large tracts of productive and valuable agricultural and forested lands containing exceptional features. The program works through local government or private land trust sponsors to purchase conservation easements from willing property owners in 31 rural areas located in every county. To date, the program has permanently protected 91,398 acres.
For more about Lexington Park, visit the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation’s Leader member page.
St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation
46940 South Shangri-La Drive, Suite 7
Lexington Park, MD 20653
301-863-7700
