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# Maryland Approves $9.3 Million for Parks and Conservation
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-maryland-2026-09-18-a/
- Published: 2026-09-18T12:26:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-18T12:26:58.000Z
- Description: Maryland approved more than $9.3 million for parks, neighborhood greenspace and conservation across Baltimore City and 12 counties, funding trails, playgrounds, stream buffers and three state land acquisitions.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: State News, Alabama, Maryland, Massachusetts

Maryland’s Board of Public Works has approved more than $9.3 million for park construction, neighborhood greenspace and land conservation across Baltimore City and 12 counties, moving a package of local recreation projects and permanent easements into the funding stage. The [Department of Natural Resources announced the September 16 approvals](https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2026/09/16/board-of-public-works-approves-9-3-million-for-outdoor-facilities-and-land-conservation-in-baltimore-city-and-12-counties/?ref=theamericanquorum.com), which reach communities from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.

Nearly $3.3 million comes through Program Open Space Local. The approved work includes a replacement seawall bulkhead and boathouse at Piney Run Park, field upgrades at the Carroll County Sports Complex, a pavilion and picnic area in Hampstead, playgrounds in Harford County and Gaithersburg, and a major renovation of Fox Chapel Neighborhood Park in Montgomery County. That renovation is slated to add or improve play equipment, fitness equipment, courts, shelters, a walking loop, parking and signs.

More than $5 million will fund 12 Greenspace Equity Program projects in communities identified as overburdened or underserved. The list includes accessible trails and play areas at Bliss Meadows in Baltimore, pedestrian connections in Gwynns Falls Leakin Park, community gardens in Baltimore County and Prince George’s County, an inclusive playground in Grantsville, and new trails in Washington and Worcester counties. The [state program’s rules](https://dnr.maryland.gov/land/Pages/Greenspace-Equity-Program.aspx?ref=theamericanquorum.com) describe it as a competitive grant intended to improve public health and neighborhood livability by preserving, creating or upgrading public greenspace.

The package also preserves working land and waterways. The board approved $717,000 for a 422-acre conservation easement in Dorchester County’s Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area, protecting farmland, woods, wetlands and about 2,500 feet of stream buffer in the Nanticoke River watershed. Another $365,000 will secure a permanent conservation easement on 46.5 forested acres in Queen Anne’s County, including more than 3,000 feet of stream buffers draining toward the Chester River.

Separate Program Open Space Stateside approvals total $852,849 for three acquisitions: 87 acres in Somerset County for habitat and recreational hunting, 15 acres adjoining the Corcoran Environmental Study Area at Sandy Point State Park, and 81 acres added to a conservation-easement project buffering Savage River State Forest and Wildlands. The [stateside program](https://dnr.maryland.gov/land/Pages/ProgramOpenSpace/Program-Open-Space-Stateside.aspx?ref=theamericanquorum.com) evaluates acquisitions for ecological value and public use, including habitat connections, water-quality protection, recreation access and climate resilience.

Program Open Space dates to 1969 and is ordinarily supported by Maryland’s 0.5% property-transfer tax, linking a portion of real-estate activity to recreation and conservation spending. Local allocations are available to every county and Baltimore City, while stateside money supports parks, forests and wildlife-management lands.

The full project authorizations appear in the [Board of Public Works’ September 16 agenda](https://bpw.maryland.gov/MeetingDocs/2026-Sep-16-Agenda.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com). The board consists of Gov. Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck Davis and Comptroller Brooke Lierman. Approval releases state funding, but residents should not assume every facility is immediately open or under construction; local governments and conservation partners still must complete procurement, design, acquisition and grant-agreement steps for their individual projects.