Land Preservation
States in the Chesapeake Bay watershed often purchase land, such as this site in Maryland, to protect it from development and retain its value as a natural area for people and wildlife to enjoy. Image courtesy the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is a finite resource. Once a natural area such as a forest or a wetland is developed into a housing subdivision or shopping center, it is lost forever. Preserving land for use as parks, wildlife refuges and historic sites provides wildlife with the habitat they need to survive, filters pollution before it can flow to the Bay and its tributaries, and gives people a place to visit and enjoy the natural beauty of our region.
Chesapeake Bay Program Goal to Preserve Land
Chesapeake Bay Program partners have permanently preserved more than 7 million acres of land in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia — more than 20 percent of the combined Bay watershed land area of these four jurisdictions. In December 2007, the Bay Program set a goal to preserve an additional 695,000 acres of land by 2020.
Methods of Land Preservation
Land conservation is supported through federal, state, local and privately funded programs. Protection of land can be achieved through various methods, including:
- Fee purchase
- Easement purchase
- Easement donation
- Purchase of development rights
- Outright land donation
Preserved lands also include:
- County, town, city, state and federal parks
- Designated open space and recreational land
- Publicly owned ranges, forests and wetlands
- Working landscapes, such as farms or forests with easements or management programs
- Historically important land, such as scenic drives, battlefields, colonial towns and farms.
- Military-owned parks and recreational areas
Land Preservation Resources
Maryland
Virginia
Pennsylvania
- Land Conservation: Information about Virginia's land conservation initiative from the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources.
- Keeping “Open Space” Open: Good background information about the importance of preserving farm and forestland in Maryland from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
- Recreation Planning: Parks, greenways, trails and other programs from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
- Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): Voluntary land retirement program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect land and restore habitat.