The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently announced $25 million in Rural Legacy Program grants and the creation of new and expanded Rural Legacy Areas.
Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program “provides funding to preserve large, contiguous tracts of land and to enhance natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection while supporting a sustainable land base for natural resource based industries.” State grant funds support acquisition of conservation easements or fee simple purchases from willing sellers within the 32 designated Rural Legacy Areas within Maryland.
Among the actions approved recently is the creation of a new 28,300-acre Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area in Dorchester County. Two million dollars in grants will go to support conservation of the landscape associated with Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy. This new Rural Legacy Area includes the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center and other important Tubman sites.
Read more about the new enhancements of the Rural Legacy Program here. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is a long-standing member of the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership.
