[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6203118,"mediaKeyId","3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed","parentId",3784275,"title","NeighborSpace describes urban conservation process, 21 sites and stewardship model","audioSeconds",1623,"startMs",1396000,"endMs",3019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed&start=1396&end=3019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed/thumbnail_1396000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6203118/Baltimore-County/Maryland/NeighborSpace-describes-urban-conservation-process-21-sites-and-stewardship-model","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203118-678396495b36f8f8832aec03d5010f8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112946&Signature=Q0s3x4iFUXAgGdejYGnEbX0P5dIR2K-z55~IkRaeH62JUw5G7ayUpMSyG4DXPGS880NdhwALEwpyYl0S6bZL40ID2ThTf9QeTN0Dwc8ppBp5A7p1R6NxLbCQeRzM54aDZ8OSoEGjJttfvdRpUtabA3BqAamUjJRqCqcEihd~ttI07-XKU9CYjJoCU3IzSSaxEtr~ECa8tuhSCOqMJpxqAAzt36cH38E~ZH8ck-2KEEqAoYp99JGOESlVny7lg8DSi-F9ytjF3ACGkTZCqo6-Io3a9STNrhGgZX2enybicvt7iMEQB0DeIdUPGBqJvGxEQMEVWkxmNVLc32hIbX8skw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Baltimore County, MD","date","2025-06-12T15:37:56.78Z","article","Phyllis Juris, executive director of NeighborSpace, described how the urban land trust identifies potential sites, secures them either by conservation easement or fee simple ownership, restores them with community input and maintains them with a stewardship program.

\"We are the only one that works in urban Baltimore County,\" Juris said, and described NeighborSpace's service area as the county's urban portion. She said the organization conserves 21 sites across the county, 19 of which are open to the public, totaling just under 100 acres; the sites provide a 10-minute-walk green space for roughly 42,000 residents, she said.

Juris reviewed NeighborSpace's process: community request or referral, GIS scoring against conservation and social indicators, site visits, environmental site assessments for acquisitions, design with a landscape architect, fundraising to fund construction, volunteer planting and community events, and a formal stewardship agreement with local partners. She emphasized long-term stewardship and annual monitoring: \"As a land trust, we are required to monitor each of our sites once a year. In practice, we're there a lot more often.\"

Juris said about 15 of the 21 sites have green-infrastructure improvements (trees, rain gardens, bioswales, pollinator plantings) and described examples: Tollgate Wyndham Preserve (Owings Mills), Ridgely Manor Park (Towson), Voles Neighborhood Park (Middle River) and Chestnut Park (Turner Station), among others. She noted NeighborSpace owns roughly half its properties in fee simple because communities sometimes lack capacity to acquire and maintain a site themselves.

She discussed access and equity concerns in urban areas: maps the group uses show about 65% of its service area lacks a public green space within a five-minute walk; walkability and watershed impairment are chronic challenges. Juris also said NeighborSpace receives 20% of annual open-space waiver fees under county code (a funding stream written into county code in 2013) and that the county council established the land trust by resolution in 2002.

On accessibility, Juris said the organization tries to make sites ADA-accessible when feasible, citing raised garden beds and ramps at some sites, and explained that physical constraints in wooded preserves sometimes limit full accessibility. She described stewardship approaches that combine formal management agreements, training, volunteer engagement and technical support.

Juris said NeighborSpace operates with four staff and 14 board members and reported about 2,000 volunteer hours and 35 events in the last fiscal year. She provided contact information and the organization's website for further inquiries.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Understanding Land Preservation","oneSentenceSummary","NeighborSpace executive director Phyllis Juris explained how the urban land trust identifies, acquires or eases sites, restores them with green infrastructure and partners with residents for long-term stewardship; the group now conserves 21 sites totaling just under 100 acres.","taxTitle","Baltimore County, Maryland","taxId",3882,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6203123,"Local land-trust director explains how conservation easements work and why they endure",684,832000,1516000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed&start=832&end=1516","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed/thumbnail_832000.jpg","/articles/6203123/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Local-land-trust-director-explains-how-conservation-easements-work-and-why-they-endure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203123-0eaf609da66c8548d669e6309bc493e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112946&Signature=AqceIh0uH4mdFfRubvlO4EzRkH~feQai5W0s6eGQLT8an9hLi5hmRKao6k4HlE2YycGwg0vUT98qSYUuCP9O8-5bKbwBQZZp3vu~EM9RAg~nBGLOAkpVBB4aSg6QVfxPOLzLLnzbgVGsRieWtng5kEokGZD9IJqU~ZEHSdh~fPM~OhtsDweas-KmrKPTYZbmHCa6q92Cp2xss~8MpHBYjRsA~Q~bf2ScbsmqFDP3P7ly4MA8iVdOM8qfnnt~9HCgXyVw9O9ZzZ55nuPhalOj-di5CZP8FHAYY3OTY20LoVVCTVo3h3NP-pFsd5zHiTL4uynRTUknUiXi5R14BGFYTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Riley Laymon, executive director of the Baltimore County Land Trust Coalition, told attendees that a conservation easement \"is a voluntary legal agreement\" — technically a deed of conservation easement — that is typically held by a land trust or government agency and limits development to protect natural or agricultural resources.

\"The main thing to remember here is that these restrictions run with the land,\" Laymon said, explaining that easement terms bind subsequent owners. He said easement terms vary by property and program but typically prohibit industrial development and restrict subdivision, clear-cutting and development near streams; exceptions can be written for timber harvest under a forest-management plan or limited family lot releases under some state programs.

Laymon described why landowners accept easements: a desire to preserve land combined with financial incentives. Donated easements can yield state and federal tax benefits; purchased easements pay landowners up front for development rights. He said that because zoning is changeable, permanent easements provide an added level of protection.

He outlined the primary actors that carry out easement work in Baltimore County: local nonprofit land trusts (Manor Conservancy, NeighborSpace, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Long Green Land Trust, Land Preservation Trust), the Baltimore County Land Trust Coalition, Maryland Environmental Trust, and state agencies such as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Laymon noted that some local land trusts are volunteer-led and rely on the coalition for staffing and advocacy.

Laymon emphasized the variety of easement forms and program rules: some preserve agricultural use while allowing an additional limited residence; others strictly prohibit subdivision; stream buffers and forest management requirements commonly appear in easement language. He said donated easements are relatively common in Baltimore County compared with some other counties because of a long-standing, grassroots preservation movement and active local trusts.

The presentation was descriptive and educational; no new policy actions were proposed or taken during the session.","Riley Laymon of the Baltimore County Land Trust Coalition described conservation easements as voluntary, deed-based restrictions that \"run with the land,\" reviewed typical easement terms and explained why donated and purchased easements are a key tool for permanent preservation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6203128,"Baltimore County staff outline 80,000-acre preservation goal and current progress",706,130000,836000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed&start=130&end=836","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784275-8686fb9d978abbc19ae8700fd01e44ed/thumbnail_130000.jpg","/articles/6203128/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Baltimore-County-staff-outline-80000-acre-preservation-goal-and-current-progress","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6203128-df8d4734e299ec4faa2a0b288a227444/orig.mp4?Expires=1771112946&Signature=SUe0tNLJWlms4C1I4nQZTCzzK1GS2G-JcPpIAw6zxRBTukMj-6T~s53CuO1WHgvTfNAvmNbCujokzHHUfxlIGT5gcupQnXJLvnGF7riJO9apElgLe4xtdprPdG0Y2k7jvIWv~-L5FkeEvRSDDHbdsYHYVqjhImyzB3RlH4IDyZsJQFBuG0PZsvfdwJjY5TMweSQJgtZmqqn910AlNlyfWUqbDkzmTeD0l06PnY~UMQ2eMlN3Eg1~MaTZ3x3dMg6d3PAoExaGjr2GQsoBUgALfIvSPqBO-uZszoFFuqb-hLoiTnyyJ45kISp~mAWF1NDvfgau7lItEOvQgccVigwnzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Megan Benjamin, land preservation administrator in the Baltimore County Department of Planning, told a county \"lunch and learn\" that the county aims to protect at least 80,000 acres of farmland and forest in perpetuity and has so far conserved 72,217 acres.

Benjamin said the county's urban-rural demarcation line (IRDL) and successive master plans established a framework to concentrate infrastructure and growth inside the IRDL while prioritizing resource protection, including drinking-water supply, outside the line.

The goal to protect about 80,000 acres dates to a University of Maryland Extension study in the 1990s that estimated the land mass needed to maintain a viable agricultural economy, Benjamin said. She told attendees the county is currently in the mid-60s percent toward a related target to protect at least 80% of prime agricultural and forest lands inside designated ag-priority areas.

Benjamin laid out how permanent protection in Baltimore County is built from a mix of programs: the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF), county agricultural programs, donated easements held by Maryland Environmental Trust or local land trusts, State Rural Legacy areas, and regulatory conservancy zones (RC4, RC6). She said about 38% of the county's protected acreage is in MALPF easements, about 9% is protected via the county ag program, and roughly 28% comes from donated easements held by trusts.

She reviewed the policy and zoning history that supports preservation work: the IRDL (established in 1967), creation of rural zones (1975), downzonings and cluster-development rules from the 1990s, and state-mandated growth tiers from 2012. Benjamin also pointed attendees to the county's 2030 Master Plan, which contains action items in sections on the livable built environment and \"harmony with nature\" that guide preservation choices.

Benjamin noted the county leverages funds across sources: county allocations, state grants and programs, and private donations. She highlighted a broad coalition of partners that implement preservation in Baltimore County, including Manor Conservancy, NeighborSpace, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Long Green Land Trust, Land Preservation Trust, the Baltimore County Land Trust Coalition, Maryland Environmental Trust and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The presentation was informational; there were no formal votes or policy actions taken during the session. Benjamin provided contact information and directed attendees to the county's land preservation pages for more details and program-specific guidance.

Looking ahead, Benjamin said the county will continue to pursue a multi-pronged approach combining purchased easements, donated easements and regulatory tools to reach the 80,000-acre goal and to increase the share of prime agricultural and forest lands under permanent protection.","Department of Planning official reviewed the county's land-preservation history, the 80,000-acre target for permanent protection, and the mix of state, county and donated easements that account for roughly 72,217 acres preserved to date.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

NeighborSpace describes urban conservation process, 21 sites and stewardship model

Local land-trust director explains how conservation easements work and why they endure

Baltimore County staff outline 80,000-acre preservation goal and current progress