Baltimore County placed 26 properties into preservation programs in 2009, for a yearly total of 1,596 acres. In all, the county has preserved 55,000 acres on its way to a goal of preserving 80,000 acres.

“Rural Baltimore County is really important to the quality of life in Baltimore County,” County Executive Jim Smith told the 50 people in attendance at the Jan. 19 meeting of the Greater Jacksonville Association. “I’ve always believed in protecting agriculture and rural lands to protect the drinking water supplies.”

Most properties are in North County and range from 20 to 200 acres. The largest farm preserved is the 200-acre Harford Partners’ farm in Monkton, which borders Harford County and is part of the original My Lady’s Manor land grant, according to a statement released Jan. 20.

Last year’s acreage was accepted into preservation programs sponsored by the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program, the Maryland Rural Legacy Program, the Baltimore County Rural Legacy Program, the Baltimore County Agricultural Land Preservation Program, the Maryland Greenprint Program, the Federal Farm and Ranch Protection Program and the State Highways Viewshed Protection Program.

This story has been updated.

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