Hughesville Revitalization Plan Hughesville Sub-Area Plan Existing Conditions Report

Chapter 4: Environmental Resources The region is rich with environmentally sensitive areas and natural resources. According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), there are two environmentally sensitive areas within the Hughesville Study Area, including National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) recognized wetlands and a potential greenway (refer to Map 7: Environmentally Sensitive Areas). There are also several environmentally sensitive features adjacent to Hughesville including Rural Legacy Areas, Wetlands of Special State Concern (WSSC), Maryland Environmental Trust Easements (MET), Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) lands, DNR Lands, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) eligible areas. According to DNR data, the Hughesville Study Area is located within the Lower and watersheds, specifically the Gilbert Swamp and Patuxent River Lower sub basins.

Preservation Programs The Charles County MET Program and the Rural Legacy Program function as environment protection programs with an added benefit that they often preserve properties with historic significance. The following is a brief description of each program.

Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) The Maryland Environmental Trust, an agency of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), holds conservation easements on natural, agricultural, scenic, and historic properties and is the co-holder of numerous easements across the state with the Maryland Historical Trust.

Rural Legacy Program DNR’s Rural Legacy Program was established in 1997. Part of the State’s Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Initiative, it is designed to conserve land by protecting areas rich in farms, forests, and natural and cultural resources. The Program achieves this by partnering with local governments, land trusts, and citizens in the purchase of conservation easements. Charles County Rural Legacy areas are presented in Figure 4.

The Rural Legacy Area adjacent to the Hughesville Study Area includes Run. The Rural Legacy Area is approximately 31,000 acres, located completely within Charles County, following the watershed boundaries of the Zekiah Swamp Run. The area is abundant with farms, forests, wetlands of Special State Concern, historic and archeological sites, and deposits rich in mineral aggregates. Protection of the Zekiah Swamp and watershed would further federal, state, and local efforts that began in the mid 1970's to protect important ecological and cultural functions benefiting the Wicomico and Potomac Rivers, as well as the . It would provide an almost continuous block of preserved land between and . Figure 6 illustrates the boundaries of Zekiah Swamp Run Rural Legacy Area (a portion of which is also visible in Map 7).

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Hughesville Revitalization Plan Hughesville Sub-Area Plan Existing Conditions Report

Figure 4: Agricultural Land Preservation

Source: Charles County 2005 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan.

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Figure 5: Zekiah Swamp Run Rural Legacy Area

Source: DNR Rural Legacy Area Program

Resource Protection Zone Overlay District (RPZ) The County has established a Resource Protection Zone (RPZ) Overlay District as part of the County’s Zoning Regulations. The purpose of the zone is to protect stream valley habitat and stream water quality. The regulations apply to proposed development in the areas designated along identified streams. Critical areas along streams are preserved through the use of buffers, open space preservation and land use restrictions. A portion of the RPZ encompasses small streams adjacent to Hughesville Industrial Park Road.

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