ANNAPOLIS -- The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously voted to purchase nearly 5,000 acres of privately owned Worcester County land Wednesday in an effort to preserve the undeveloped forested area.
The state will spend $9.3 million in Program Open Space funds to buy the 4,769 acres owned by the Smith-Foster Furnace Corp., a family-owned timber company, on Route 12 just south of the Wicomico County line. With an additional $5.1 million set aside by the federal government for the purchase, the company stands to earn $14.4 million in the transaction that will put what was the largest privately owned land tract in Maryland in state hands.
"This is really a legacy type of acquisition," said Olivia Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "I think children and grandchildren will look back on this and think, 'Thank goodness someone thought to protect that property.' "
The land -- which falls in the Nassawango Creek watershed and drains into the Chesapeake Bay -- is set to become part of the Chesapeake State Forest and will continue to be harvested as a condition of the sale. As part of the state park system, the nearly 5,000 acres and more than 90 listed rare and endangered species found in the area will be protected from future development, said Joe Fehrer, land manager for The Nature Conservancy's Nassawango Creek Preserve.
"With land becoming more parceled and the forest becoming more fragmented, we are fast losing large tracts of forest here on the Eastern Shore," Fehrer said.
The Nature Conservancy stands to make $239,255 for its part in brokering the sale to the state.
According to John Foster, who leads the Smith-Foster Furnace Corp., the conservancy has tried to acquire the land in the past with little success. With this latest offer, at a price of $3,030 per acre, Foster said he and the other shareholders could not refuse.
Not everyone, however, is pleased about the purchase, especially at a time when lawmakers are preparing to cut $2 billion from the state's budget in the upcoming legislative session.
Delegate Anthony J. O'Donnell, a Republican who represents Southern Maryland, said the money could be better used in other ways.
"The government is furloughing state employees -- everybody's sacrificing," O'Donnell said. "We have to look at our priorities, and this doesn't make sense to me."
The land was purchased through Program Open Space, which is funded by the real estate transfer tax, Campbell said. While the legislature can choose to use that money for things other than land protection, Gov. Martin O'Malley has made it a point not to do so.
"These aren't general funds," Campbell said. "Often when we face budget constraints; unfortunately, the first thing people look to cut is conservation and the environment. But we have to keep in mind that without a healthy environment, we can't have a healthy economy."
Delegate Jim Mathias, D-38B-Worcester, added the money was not spent irresponsibly nor without considerable deliberation by lawmakers.
"It's critical for us here on the Shore, with regards to our waterways and environment, to do what we can responsibly, when we can responsibly," Mathias said.
jhopkinson@ dmg.gannett.com
