State-Level Conservation Victories
Chesapeake Conservancy advocated for three bills in Maryland that can serve as models for other watershed states. Maryland’s commitment to preserving Chesapeake lands and waters ensures that Maryland will continue to have space for nature to live and thrive, as well as places for public access. Each piece of legislation has been years in the making and is a credit to Chesapeake Conservancy partners and board members, as well as the Maryland General Assembly.
Maryland the Beautiful Act, SB470
This legislation sets a statewide goal for Maryland to conserve 30% of its lands by 2030 and 40% by 2040 through voluntary conservation efforts.The legislation creates a revolving loan fund from which land trusts can borrow to secure capital for land conservation projects. The legislation also authorizes grant funding to the Maryland Environmental Trust to support land conservation efforts such as monitoring and stewardship.
Greenspace Equity Program, HB503
This bill aims to ensure that all Marylanders have access to green space and outdoor recreation, regardless of where they live. Grants will be available to local governments to enhance access and recreation in historically underserved neighborhoods by creating new parks and trails, renovating existing parks and trails and improving outdoor recreation facilities.
Forest Preservation and Retention Act, SB0526
This bill updates and strengthens state law related to forest preservation and retention by modifying Maryland’s current goals concerning forest preservation from “no net loss” of forest across the state to “net gain” of forest land. Ultimately, it will protect and conserve more forest land and tree canopy and give local governments significantly greater flexibility to pursue solutions that meet local needs and advance equity. Current data and future goals were reinforced by the recent Forest and Tree Canopy study by the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology supported by Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center.