News

Defending Program Open Space Funding in the 2026 Maryland Legislative Session

January 13, 2026

As the Maryland Legislative Session approaches, land conservation allies including Harford Land Trust (HLT) are once again gearing up to defend funding for Maryland’s Program Open Space (POS) – a vital state program that funds land conservation, recreation, and heritage areas across Maryland.

Delegate Mike Griffith, representing portions of Harford and Cecil Counties, is sponsoring a bill to pay back at least half of the $100 million in POS funding that was diverted in 2025. While many “special funds” experienced funding redirections last year to address a $3.3 billion deficit, POS was the only one to lose funding for four years and at a disproportionately high level.

These cuts have an outsized impact on programs that have delivered substantial benefits to Harford County’s forests, wildlife habitats, farms, and recreation land. Protected lands provide jobs, food, clean water, flood mitigation, and other essential ecosystem services. They are critical to the county’s economic vitality and environmental health, but successful land preservation relies on consistent, reliable funding. 

This year, lawmakers will need to close another projected $1.4 billion budget gap, and we must hold fast to prevent even deeper cuts to land conservation funds. HLT Executive Director Kristin Kirkwood, who is also the chair of Forever Maryland, a state association of land trusts, will return to Annapolis this session to advocate for the full funding of Maryland’s land conservation programs through POS and to advance and protect private land conservation tools.

Due to last year’s POS cuts, Maryland is expected to miss out on an estimated 20,000 acres of land that would’ve otherwise been protected. Given Maryland’s intense development pressure, much of that land could be lost permanently. While POS supports many land conservation and parkland initiatives, the $100 million of redirected funds is only coming out of three of its supported programs: The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF), the Maryland Rural Legacy Program, and POS Stateside – the last of which is used by the state to purchase public parkland.

MALPF and the Rural Legacy Program alone account for 23,395 acres of Harford County’s 66,421 acres of protected private land. 

• MALPF has contributed $67,171,016 to conserve 17,856 acres 

• Rural Legacy has contributed $25,894,671 to conserve 5,062 acres in the Deer Creek Rural Legacy Area 

• Rural Legacy has contributed $6,862,967 to conserve 477 acres in the Manor Rural Legacy Area

For more than 30 years, POS has been the most significant source of funding for parkland acquisition in Harford County. POS funds were critical to expanding many of the county’s public parks, including Rocks State Park, Gunpowder State Park, and Stoney Demonstration State Forest. It has also supported collaborative acquisitions with Harford County and HLT, including Eden Mill Nature Center, Belle Vue Farm, and Foster Branch Park. 

Enacted in 1969, POS is funded by Maryland’s transfer tax – a ½% tax on real estate transactions. It was the nation’s first dedicated funding source for land conservation. This visionary program helped make Maryland a national leader in land preservation. Yet over the past 20 years, POS has been repeatedly targeted for diversions, with more than $1 billion redirected away from the program since its inception. 

If you would like to support HLT’s advocacy for POS funding, please consider donating to Harford Land Trust and Forever Maryland. Also, please consider contacting your state representatives to share why lands protected by POS matter to you, your family, and your community.