137 acres in county get funds for protection
Three sites in Crownsville, Tracy’s Landing included in partnership between county, Chesapeake Bay Trust
Anne Arundel County will tap a new forest protection grant program to fund easements protecting 137 acres of land in Crownsville and Tracy’s Landing from future development.
The land, which includes a 12.3-acre tract in the Palisades, a 31.6-acre tract in Herring Bay and a 93.3-acre tract in Cranberry Woods, will be placed into conservation easements.
Atotal of $504,065 will be spent to protect the three parcels through the Anne Arundel County Forestry and Forested Land Protection Grant Program, a partnership between the county and the Chesa- peake Bay Trust that was launched last year.
The money has been awarded through three grants to the Scenic Rivers Land Trust, a nonprofit that works with property owners to permanently protect parcels.
Property owners will sell the right to develop the land in the future, while keeping ownership of the land.
“The idea is that it’s cheaper to buy the development rights rather than buying the land outright,” said Chesapeake Bay Trust Executive Director Jana Davis.
The grant program uses fees-in-lieu paid by developers who can’t otherwise meet forest conservation requirements on new developments, county spokesman Dave Abrams said. The Scenic Rivers Land Trust is a private organization that works to protect land through preservation agreements and educating landholders on issues of conservation and stewardship. The trust accepts conservation easements within Anne Arundel County, with a focus on the Severn, South, Patuxent, Rhode, and West River watersheds.
Rick Leader, executive director of the Scenic Rivers trust, said the group learned the grant wasapprovedthis March, and has worked since then to craft legal agreements to permanently protect the land.
He hailed the new grant forestation grant program, which he said provides greater incentives than the trust has been
The land, which includes a 12.3-acre tract in the Palisades, a 31.6-acre tract in Herring Bay and a 93.3-acre tract in Cranberry Woods, will be placed into conservation easements.
Atotal of $504,065 will be spent to protect the three parcels through the Anne Arundel County Forestry and Forested Land Protection Grant Program, a partnership between the county and the Chesa- peake Bay Trust that was launched last year.
The money has been awarded through three grants to the Scenic Rivers Land Trust, a nonprofit that works with property owners to permanently protect parcels.
Property owners will sell the right to develop the land in the future, while keeping ownership of the land.
“The idea is that it’s cheaper to buy the development rights rather than buying the land outright,” said Chesapeake Bay Trust Executive Director Jana Davis.
The grant program uses fees-in-lieu paid by developers who can’t otherwise meet forest conservation requirements on new developments, county spokesman Dave Abrams said. The Scenic Rivers Land Trust is a private organization that works to protect land through preservation agreements and educating landholders on issues of conservation and stewardship. The trust accepts conservation easements within Anne Arundel County, with a focus on the Severn, South, Patuxent, Rhode, and West River watersheds.
Rick Leader, executive director of the Scenic Rivers trust, said the group learned the grant wasapprovedthis March, and has worked since then to craft legal agreements to permanently protect the land.
He hailed the new grant forestation grant program, which he said provides greater incentives than the trust has been
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