62-Acre Easement Preserved Through HoCo Purchased Conservation Easement Pilot Program

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 62-acre easement has become Howard County's first land conservation purchase made through the county’s Purchased Conservation Easement Pilot Program with the Howard County Conservancy.

The $1.8 million purchase, underwritten by a $2 million grant from Howard County to the Conservancy, will permanently preserve a 62-acre easement between the conservancy and the non-profit Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. The county provided $500,000 in its fiscal year 2024 budget to continue this pilot program for another year.

“The first of its kind in Maryland, this innovative Purchased Conservation Easement Pilot Program provides grant funding to the conservancy to underwrite the cost of acquisitions that protect environmentally significant land owned by non-profits,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said at a news conference. “This program was designed as a win-win for our environment and the organizations that provide fellowship for and service to our community.”

Victor Marinich, Parish Council President of the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, said the church, the county and the conservancy all had the same vision - to protect the land.

"To be able to work with each other, to come up with a plan that really was win-win-win, I think was fantastic," he said.

The county has nearly 63,500 acres of protected land in the form of parks, open space and preservation easements, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of total land in Howard County. The county and state partners have preserved 23,132 acres of farmland through the Agricultural Preservation Programs.