Baltimore County, MD

Baltimore County, Maryland, has one of the most ambitious and successful land management and environmental protection programs in the country. An impressive combination of tools and strategies—land use regulations, land acquisition, an urban growth boundary, education, partnerships with private land trusts, and infill development initiatives—has been employed to preserve thousands of acres throughout the county and protect critical wildlife habitat. Agricultural land preservation and protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay have been two rallying points for continuing citizen support of these resource protection strategies. While changes in state government programs and politics since 2002 may make future progress more challenging, Baltimore County is in many ways a model for local governments everywhere when it comes to protecting nature and biodiversity.

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