Board also approves dedication of Howard Heritage Trail at Freedman’s State Historical Park
Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw visits the Howard family cemetery in what will be Freedman’s State Historical Park; the Board of Public Works approved the naming of the Howard Heritage Trail that will connect historic sites there. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo.
The Board of Public Works today approved more than $3.1 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments and a land trust for parkland, recreational improvements, and land conservation in Anne Arundel, Howard, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Worcester Counties.
Additionally, the Board approved the renaming of the Howard Heritage Trail at the soon-to-open Freedman’s State Historical Park in Montgomery County in honor of the Howard family. Gov. Wes Moore, chairing the Board meeting, gave special thanks for the trail renaming and recognized the park that will serve as a testament to the remarkable achievements of Enoch George Howard and his family. Howard emancipated himself and his family from slavery in the mid-1800s after earning money through his agricultural ingenuity along the Patuxent River in modern-day Montgomery County. He established a Black school, purchased the land where he was formerly enslaved, and helped develop a freed Black community in the area. Once open, Freedman’s State Historical Park will share details of his family’s story and the lasting legacy they left in Maryland.
Nearly $1.5 million in Program Open Space – Local funding was approved for three projects:
- Anne Arundel County will acquire 21.8 acres of land to expand Bell Branch Park in Gambrills. Sports fields are planned for the new area.
- Howard County will use funds to repave roads, paths and parking lots at Schooley Mill Park in Highland.
- Worcester County will construct a new parking area at Showell Park in Berlin to better accommodate visitors.
Additionally, the Board approved over $1 million in Rural Legacy Program funding for Queen Anne’s County to acquire conservation easements on two adjacent properties totaling 222 acres in the Lands End Rural Legacy Area. These two easements will preserve productive agricultural fields and forested lands that support Forest Interior Dwelling Species of birds, which require large blocks of forested land for successful nesting. The easements will also protect 1,880 feet of forested buffers along Island Creek in the Chester River watershed.
Two more conservation easements – Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) permanent easements totaling 172 acres – were approved for acquisition with $636,000 of Program Open Space funding. The first is an 18-acre easement in Queen Anne’s County protecting over 3,000 feet of forested buffers along a tributary to the Wye East River. The second CREP easement is in Talbot County and was negotiated by the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. This easement will protect 154 acres, of which 97 acres are included by way of landowner donation, and includes forested land that will serve as a buffer along Island Creek, which is a significant waterway in the Choptank River watershed.
All projects funded are listed in the Board of Public Works November 5, 2025 meeting agenda. The three-member Board of Public Works is composed of Gov. 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 national recognition from the American Farmland Trust.
Since 2009, Maryland’s permanent conservation easement option with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has acquired, from willing landowners, conservation easements that require continued maintenance of Conservation Reserve Program practices after the expiration of the federal contracts.
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.
