HAGERSTOWN, MD (August 30, 2024) - The Washington County Division of Planning & Zoning announces, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the State of Maryland awarded Washington County a grant of $1,544,000 for the fiscal year 2025 cycle of the Rural Legacy Program. This grant amount is the highest of any Rural Legacy Area in the State for this year. 

Rural Legacy is a conservation easement program funded by the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources that works to permanently preserve agriculturally, environmentally and historically significant properties near Antietam Battlefield and its surrounding areas. The County settled its first Rural Legacy easement in 2000 and has accrued over 9,000 permanently preserved acres through the program since. Qualifying properties must lie within the County's designated Rural Legacy Area, have an Agricultural assessment designation, and have development rights to sell. 

The program is administered locally through the Washington County Dept. of Planning & Zoning. For more information on the Rural Legacy Program, please reach out to Chris Boggs, Rural Preservation Administrator, by phone at 240-313-2447 or via email at cboggs@washco-md.net.