Maryland lawmakers are meeting in a special session to try and plug a $1.7 million gap in the state’s structural budget. The Governor has warned that everyone must feel the pain. But a statewide coalition is saying that the environment, particularly land acquisition, should not be sacrificed. 

Partners For Openspace, made up of 150 conservation, agriculture, parks, and other organizations, is the self-appointed guardian of Program Openspace funding (American Farmland Trust sits on the Executive Committee). These funds, used to acquire land for agriculture, habitat, heritage and recreation, come from the state’s real-estate transfer tax. Part of the Governor’s budget plan would divert a portion of the monies to state parks funding while simultaneously reducing parks support from general funds. The net result of this accounting shell game would be no funding increase for parks and a loss of land acquisition funds.

Partners has several arguments why open space funding should be protected from the cuts this time out:

1. Openspace has already paid its share: Since 2002 over $480 million has been diverted from Program Openspace; park operations have been cut by 46%; and staffing at the Maryland Departments of Environment and Natural Resources is at an all-time low.
2. Land development is currently outpacing land preservation and future land values will be higher than they are today.
3. Local parks and recreation facilities face a current shortfall of $500 million to address existing needs.
4. In poll after poll voters support land preservation and want these programs fully funded and not diverted to the General Fund.

For more information visit the Partners for Openspace website at http://www.partnersforopenspace.org/.

« Return to Maryland State Page