Annapolis, MD – On Monday, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Maryland the Beautiful Act (SB 470).

The legislation would set a statewide goal for Maryland to conserve 30% of its lands by 2030 and 40% by 2040 through voluntary conservation efforts. The legislation would create a revolving loan fund from which land trusts can borrow in order to secure capital for land conservation projects. The legislation would also authorize grant funding to the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) to support land conservation efforts such as monitoring and stewardship. The legislation would authorize an additional MET grant program, called the “40 x 40 Land Conservation Implementation Grant Program,” which would provide funding for capacity building and educational conferences and trainings for land trusts in Maryland.

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Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn commended the passage of the Maryland the Beautiful Act, stating,

“Thank you to the Maryland General Assembly for passing the Maryland the Beautiful Act.“Maryland joins a national and international 30 x 30 movement to respond to the global nature crisis by increasing conservation efforts. This legislation will set a statewide conservation goal and provide new sources of funding to help conservation partners – in particular, land trusts – to help Maryland achieve 30 x 30 and 40 x 40.

“By reaching these goals through voluntary conservation, Maryland can ensure that as the state continues to grow and develop, it will continue to have space for nature to live and thrive, as well as places for people to access nature.

“Thank you to Senator Sarah Elfreth, Delegate Dana Stein, and the legislators and advocates who worked to advance and pass this important legislation.”

Feature Photo by Preservation Maryland

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