Header Art - Land Acquisition and Planning

Program Open Space Grants- Localside of POS

Program Open Space (POS) is a nationally recognized program with two components, a local grant component often called Localside POS and a component that funds acquisitions by the State. The first component provides financial and technical assistance to local subdivisions for the planning, acquisition, and/or development of recreation land or open space areas, including dedicated funds for Maryland's state and local parks and conservation areas.

Established under the Department of Natural Resources in 1969, POS symbolizes Maryland's long term commitment to conserving our natural resources while providing exceptional outdoor recreation opportunities for our citizens.

Today there are more than 5,000 individual county and municipal parks and conservation areas that exist because of the program. Almost all of the land purchased by the DNR in Maryland in the last 40 years was funded at least in part through POS.

Program Open Space

  • Acquires outdoor recreation and open space areas for public use.
  • Administers funds made available to local communities for open and recreational space by the Outdoor Recreation Land Loan of 1969 and from the Land and Water Conservation Fund of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
  • Coordinates the acquisition of Department lands for the use of all departmental agencies (Code Natural Resources Article, secs. 5-901 through 5-910).
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    Director of POS Grants

    James W. (Chip) Price
    Program Open Space
    Tawes State Office Bldg.
    580 Taylor Ave., E-4
    Annapolis, MD
    21401-2397
    Phone: 410-260-8426
    Fax: 410-260-8404
    E-mail: cprice@dnr.state.md.us

    Contacts - Who to Call