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The Maryland Agricultural
Land Preservation Foundation is one of several |
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FACT SHEETS: AGENDAS: MINUTES: LEGAL DOCUMENTS: FORMS: REPORTS: CONTACT INFORMATION: LINKS: |
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Maryland Land
Conservation Center. If you are interested in learning about
other land preservation possibilities, an excellent place to start is the Maryland Land Conservation Center
web site, a central point of information about land protection resources
sponsored by the Maryland Environmental Trust. |
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Maryland’s
Rural Legacy Program. Created in 1997, this
Program located within the Department of Natural Resources seeks to set aside
large blocks of rural lands for the protection of natural and scenic
resources and the fostering of rural industries such as agriculture and
forestry. Landowners may apply at
any time to local sponsors (county government or a local land trust), and the
sponsors apply annually for funding.
The minimum property size for Rural Legacy funding is 25 acres, though
this may vary by locality. To
qualify for participation, the property must be located within a
State-approved Rural Legacy Area. |
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Maryland
Environmental Trust (MET). The Maryland Environmental Trust was
created in 1967 to protect Maryland’s natural environment and is the
State’s primary recipient of donated conservation easements. It seeks farms and forestlands,
wildlife habitat, waterfront acreage, natural areas, historic sites, and
valuable scenic features. MET and
its cooperating local land trusts prefer to accept donations on lands greater
than 50 acres, though there is no fixed minimum parcel size. Donations are accepted throughout the
year. A property owner may
benefit from a donated conservation easement by the federal income tax
deduction, the Maryland property tax credit, the Maryland income tax credit,
and through estate tax savings. |
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Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program was established in 1997 through a
federal-state partnership. CREP
offers incentives to establish or extend watershed buffers and wetlands to
protect water quality, including bonus rental rates, a permanent easement
option, up to one-hundred percent cost-share, free technical assistance to
install certain conservation practices, and year-round sign-up. Eligible property includes marginal
crop or pasture land next to a waterway or highly erodible
land within one-thousand feet of a waterway and prior converted
wetlands. Because eligible land
is often relatively limited, CREP benefits are rarely significant, but are
rather a valuable supplementary income stream or easement payment. CREP applications are handled by local
soil conservation district offices and certain land trusts in partnership
with the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture. |
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Maryland’s Forest Legacy Program. The Forest Legacy Program is a federal
program established under the 1990 Farm Bill which seeks to promote the
long-term integrity of forest lands.
Its purpose is to identify environmentally important forest lands that
are threatened by present or future conversion to non-forest uses and protect
them from conversion. The Program
funds to purchase conservation easements on forest lands from interested
landowners. The minimum acreage
for Forest Legacy funding is 100 acres.
To qualify for participation, the property must be located within an
approved Forest Legacy Area.
Forest Legacy applications are handled by local Department of Natural
Resources foresters or the Department’s Forest Service who will seek
federal funding for specific properties. |
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Maryland’s
Program Open Space (POS).
Maryland’s Program Open Space, within the Department of Natural
Resources, is charged with helping acquire state and local parks and conservation areas,
including the
purchase of easements on land to protect unique historic properties
(battlefields or historic structures and landscapes) or scenic vistas. There is no minimum acreage or other
requirement for funding from this Program, but the Program generally depends
upon sponsoring organizations seeking funding for specific projects that fall
within the scope of this Program’s objectives. |
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Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21). TEA-21 is part of the Federal Surface
Transportation Program. Several
provisions of this legislation can provide resources to land trusts and local
government to help fund projects that enhance roadsides, encourage and
protect scenic byways and vistas, and protect historic landscapes and
properties adjacent to State and Federal highways. These funds are made available through
the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), administered by the State
Highway Administration (SHA) to fund proposals submitted by state agencies,
county or municipal governments, private non-profit organizations, community
groups, or even individuals.
Projects proposed by non-government entities must secure an
appropriate government agency as a co-sponsor |
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Maryland
Historical Trust (MHT). The Maryland Historical Trust, within
the Maryland Department of Planning, grants easements to protect the state's valued
historic structures and preserve local heritage and folklore. Eligibility
stems from owning property listed on, or eligible for the National Register
of Historic Places or in a locally certified historic district. State and
federal tax benefits are available. In such cases, the perpetual, historical
easements are bestowed as a gift to the Maryland Historical Trust. While this agency is primarily
concerned with historic structures, the land associated with the setting of
such structures can be, and often is, preserved to maintain the integrity of the
historic landscape. |
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These descriptions are
provided for general information purposes only. If you have questions about a specific
land preservation program, please contact the staff of that program directly. Last revised: |
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STATE OF MARYLAND http://www.malpf.info/statelinks.html |
