MARYLAND IS a state of seeming contradictions, captured perfectly by the juxtaposition of vibrant cities such as Baltimore and Annapolis with the surrounding forests and wetlands and the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
This diverse range of pristine natural areas with some of the nation's foremost centers of culture and commerce gives Maryland the unique quality that makes it such a wonderful place to live.
Most Marylanders know that this balance is being lost to a wave of development that is consuming the open areas and high country that provide a backyard for the state's urban areas.
The U.S. Agriculture Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service found that Maryland lost more than 175,000 acres of rural land to development from 1992 to 1997, and statistics indicate that the pace of development is likely increasing.
Maryland desperately needs continued investment in federal land conservation programs such as Forest Legacy and the Land and Water Conservation Fund that help create more protected open spaces across the state.
The Forest Legacy Program was created in 1990 to help pay for protection of forests "threatened by conversion to non-forest uses." Land is protected through projects - usually led by groups such as the Trust for Public Land, the Nature Conservancy, the Conservation Fund and local land trusts - that either purchase forestland outright to be preserved as public land, or purchase the development rights from private owners through a conservation easement.
Forest Legacy stretches each federal conservation dollar by requiring a match of state and private money for projects, thereby leveraging for the greatest effect.
We can thank the Forest Legacy Program for helping to protect special places in Maryland such as the Sahlin property near Annapolis. This 298 acres of forest protects an important feeder creek for the Chesapeake Bay and is one of the few remaining large forested tracts in the Severn River watershed. Instead of becoming another vast private development, this forestland will continue to provide clean water and scenic beauty for the benefit of all citizens.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund similarly protects our natural capital by drawing from a dedicated trust fund of federal oil and gas leasing revenues to purchase new state and federal lands, adding to our public parks, forests and wildlife refuges.
Unfortunately, shortsighted budget choices in Washington are placing the tradition of partnership at grave risk. The House of Representatives is preparing a bill for the forthcoming fiscal year that would slash funding for the Forest Legacy Program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other important federal land conservation programs. The result would be fewer parks and open spaces for our families and more urban sprawl.
As we head into the heart of summer, we are all reminded of the central role that public lands and other protected open spaces play in our lives. These special places are where we spend quality time with family and friends and enjoy our favorite outdoor activities.
Marylanders should look to their senators, Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes, to ensure that more funding for Forest Legacy and the Land and Water Conservation Fund is included in the final Interior Department appropriations bill. Each extra land protection project funded by a more generous appropriation from the Senate would go a long way toward protecting Maryland's water supplies and way of life.
With our open spaces shrinking rapidly, we desperately need Congress to make this wise investment.
Jad Daley is the regional conservation director for the Appalachian Mountain Club's Mid-Atlantic Office.
