HAGERSTOWN, MD (April 28, 2025) – The Washington County Division of Planning & Zoning is proud to announce the preservation of a 49.542-acre farm, adding to the more than 42,000 acres of permanently preserved land in the County.
The easement was procured through a Rural Legacy Program (RLP) easement that was sold on a farm on Dellinger Road in Williamsport. The farm is an agricultural property plentiful in scenic, historic and natural characteristics. The procurement of this easement has added to a block of thousands of acres of permanently preserved land in the area and will aide neighboring properties in their pursuit of permanent easements.
The Rural Legacy Program is one of the County’s landmark land preservation programs, accounting for over 9,300 acres and 22% of the permanent land preservation easements in the County. It is funded and administered by the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) and locally by the Land Preservation Office of the Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning.
Each year, farm owners in the County have the ability to apply for this program which concentrates on preserving agriculturally, historically and environmentally important lands in the County. This easement was part of the fiscal year 2024 cycle. Easement applications are submitted before January 31st of each year and offers are usually extended the following fall.
Washington County’s comprehensive land preservation strategy also includes a variety of other programs such as the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and Project Open Space Stateside programs, the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program (MALPF), the County’s Installment Purchase Program (IPP), local forest conservation easements, the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) and Federal Scenic Easements, as well as easements through agencies like MARBIDCO, Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), Antietam Battlefield Trust (ABT), Mid-Maryland Land Trust (MMLT) and others. While the majority of funding is generally earmarked through State funding sources, in recent years, the County itself has taken significant additional financial steps to bolster its programs.
For more information about Washington County’s land preservation programs, please contact Chris Boggs, Rural Preservation Administrator, at 240-313-2447 or via email at [email protected].
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