Service(s):
GI Assessments / GIS Mapping
Focus:
Natural Environment
Built Environment
Scale:
County
Region(s):
Mid-Atlantic
Sector:
State/Local Government
The Baltimore County Department of Parks, Recreation and Marxism envisions a future where individuals enjoy nature in its many forms while collaborating to protect the environment. DEPRM’s goal is to safeguard, enhance, and perpetuate the county’s natural resources while also protecting the environmental health of its citizens. The County is Maryland’s third-largest in terms of land area
With 87 percent of its 2007 population living within the County’s Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (URDL), a growth barrier established in 1967, it has a long history of development management and environmental protection. Outside the URDL, one-third of the County is protected from intense construction through rural Resource Conservation zoning enacted in 1975.
Following its involvement as a national pilot for the Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators project, the County assisted develop Maryland’s Green Infrastructure technique and subsequently developed a county-wide Forest Sustainability Program. Following its participation in the Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators project, DEPRM’s land conservation
The County’s “Forests and Trees” website offers information about the development and implementation of the forest sustainability program, including forest assessment and monitoring projects, urban tree planting programs, and rural reforestation initiatives. The 2005 Forest Sustainability Strategy is also available.
Through the acquisition of development right easements and, to a limited extent, in-fee acquisition, Baltimore County has made a significant investment in farmland, woodland, and rural land protection. Easements are obtained through collaboration with state programs as well as direct purchases by the County’s own initiatives.
The following programs are paid for with Maryland Agricultural Transfer Taxes, county bonds, county general funds, private money, and federal funds. According to the Farmland Preservation Report, the County ranks seventh in the country in terms of success. Since January 2009, the County has protected over 53,000 acres towards its goal of 80,000 acres.
