HAGERSTOWN – Washington County’s Department of Planning & Zoning has preserved a 50-acre farm in Williamsport, moving closer to the goal of permanently protecting nearly 43,000 acres, or 15 percent, of the total land.
This latest conservation easement was attained through the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation program, co-funded by the county and state. Situated on Hawks Landing Lane in Williamsport, the farm is devoted to crop production and equestrian activities.
This new easement extends the corridor of protected acres in the region and is expected to encourage adjacent landowners to pursue similar permanent conservation arrangements for their properties.
The state land preservation program continues to serve as the county’s most effective tool for safeguarding farmland, accounting for 40 percent of all permanent conservation easements in the county.
Managed by the county’s Land Preservation Office within the Planning & Zoning department, the program offers eligible farm owners the chance to protect productive agricultural land forever through yearly application rounds.
Applications must be submitted by July 1, with offers generally made the following March. The newly completed easement was part of the 2024 cycle and represents the eleventh property from that round to reach final settlement.
The county’s farmland preservation efforts also incorporate the Rural Legacy Program, as well as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement and the Farm and Ranchland Protection programs.
Although state resources have supplied the bulk of preservation funding, Washington County has increasingly allocated local dollars in recent years to strengthen long-term conservation goals.
Land preservation is also a cornerstone of the county’s Comprehensive Plan for the next decade and a half, with a goal of 50,000 preserved acres, which is well in reach with nearly 43,000 acres already preserved.
