The Rural Legacy Program is a relatively recent and substantial addition to the tool box of land protection tools in Maryland. Launched by the Department of Natural Resources in 1997, it is the cornerstone of the resource land conservation portion of Governor Glendening's Smart Growth initiative. Born of a concern about the scatter-shot effect of much of the land protected with easements, this program focuses attention and funding on concentrated areas of the state - 25 of them in 21 counties. The Program was created to focus on some of Maryland's best natural, agricultural and cultural areas as well as representing Maryland's most significant rural landscapes. These areas are initiated in a grass-roots effort by local government, local land trusts, and citizens, and are designated by a Rural Legacy Board. As of September 30, 2002, the Rural Legacy Program had permanently protected 32,530 acres.

The Rural Legacy Areas are designated in a competitive process for grants to purchase conservation easements (and occasionally fee-simple purchases of land) that build on other public and private land protection efforts. Only landowners within the geographic boundaries of a Rural Legacy Area are eligible to apply to sell easements under this program but if they are in a designated area, there are little other criteria beyond the presence of resources to be protected and the ability of the land to be developed further. The Program seeks to protect a diversity of the State's significant resources and to support resource-based industries such as agriculture and forestry along with protecting significant natural and cultural resources. Flexibility being the watchword of this program, there are a broad range of model easements and methods of valuation (appraisals and point formulas) being used, as well as a variety of easement holders (e.g. counties, MET, MALPF, local land trusts) engaged in the process. Coalitions, known as sponsors, (usually local land trusts and/or county governments) delineate an area, document landowner interest, design an acquisition process and make the case for focus when they make an application for grant funds. Awards are made yearly. The sponsors are then responsible for administering much of the mechanics of acquiring easements from landowners. Once designated and routinely settling easements, Rural Legacy Areas are much more likely to receive additional funding in ensuing years.

For the official Rural Legacy site at the Department of Natural resources go to:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/rurallegacy/rlprogram/index.html

For the answers to frequently asked questions go to:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/rurallegacy/
rlnews/intro2rurallegacy.html

Interested landowners can directly contact the sponsors of the Rural Legacy Area in their county for further information on their land conservation efforts.

For brief descriptions of the currently designated Rural Legacy Areas go to:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/rurallegacy/
rlprogram/allrurallegacyareas.html