The Agriculture and Seafood Division works to:
- Coordinate, track, and provide administrative support for land preservation programs available to protect the land base and water quality necessary to retain agriculture, seafood, and forestry as viable economic sectors in the county.
- Coordinate, track and provide to local and state agencies data needed to maintain county funding and eligibility for state match funding for land preservation programs.
- Educate interested owners about available Preservation and Conservation programs used in the County to protect resource land, water quality from the impacts of sprawl development and to maintain the scenic and rural character of the County.
- Provide support to preservation organizations/agencies working to establish easement or fee simple purchases offered by willing landowners.
- Maintain Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping shapefiles and databases showing the County’s protected lands and transmit files to support tracking and data mapping and inform the public, local and state agencies to assure enrolled lands remain in compliance.
- Maintain database of landowners with TDRs to sell for development
Resource and/or Download Links
- Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF)
- Rural Legacy (RL) Program
- Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D)
- Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust (PTLT)
- Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
- Database of TDRs for Sale
- MERLIN Environmental Resource GIS Map
- Recordation Tax
- St. Mary's County Agricultural Tax Credit Agreement Form
- St. Mary's County Agricultural Tax Credit Application