Rural Legacy Grant Award for
Frederick County Farms

Submitted by Anne Bradley
Agricultural Preservation Planner
Frederick County Planning Department

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On December 3rd, 2008 Governor Martin O'Malley announced this year’s Rural Legacy Program grant allocations.  The Frederick County Mid-Maryland Rural Legacy area received a grant of $1,000,000.  Overall, a total of $13,460,700 was awarded to 20 Maryland counties.  The Frederick County Mid-Maryland Rural Legacy area was established as part of a regional land preservation effort undertaken in the Potomac River/South Mountain corridors which was approved under the FY-98-99 Rural Legacy Program.  This area was part of a three County approach with Washington and Montgomery Counties that covered an area of 77,000 acres in southern and western Frederick County.  Frederick County remains committed to a regional land preservation effort with these two adjoining counties.   However, applications have been submitted separately.  The Rural Legacy Area extends from Myersville south along South Mountain and the Appalachian Trail including the prime farmland near Burkittsville, the South Mountain battlefield, and Civil War sites.    The Rural Legacy Plan area remains as approved in the FY98-99 grant and slightly expanded in FY-2003.  It encompasses 26,351+ acres of the overall area. The Rural Legacy Area is significant in that it includes two of the three best areas of farmland soils in the County in the lower Middletown Valley with Myersville and Fauquier loams.  The slopes of South Mountain contain large contiguous areas of hardwood forests that are the home to abundant wildlife.  The Rural Legacy Area includes Catoctin Creek, Little Catoctin Creek and secondary tributaries of Broad Run and Middle Creek.