| Description | Spatial | Attributes |
In 1997, the Maryland General Assembly approved the Rural Legacy Program. The purpose of the Rural Legacy Program is to protect Maryland's best remaining rural landscapes and natural areas through the purchase of land or conservation easements. In a grass root approach, local government and land trusts (sponsors) apply to have places that are significant to the community and the state designated as Rural Legacy Areas. The Rural Legacy Areas file is a digital, polygon layer showing Maryland’s designated Rural Legacy areas. The file was compiled by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources using data supplied by Rural Legacy Area sponsors. Once a Rural Legacy area is designated, Rural Legacy sponsors can then apply for Rural Legacy grants for land or conservation easements within the Rural Legacy boundaries.
The Rural Legacy Areas file was created as a resource protection-planning tool to assist the Rural Legacy staff in their easement review process and is available to the Rural Legacy sponsors, staff, etc. through MERLIN Online (DNR's online mapping system) and DNR's GeoSpatial Data download site (dnr.maryland.gov/gis). In addition, the Rural Legacy Areas layer is displayed on a variety of hard copy maps prepared for the Rural Legacy application review teams, Board of Public Works meetings, and media events.