Charles County, Maryland Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan September 2017 Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Planning Process Summary ....................................................................................................................... 1 Key Issues Summary .................................................................................................................................. 1 Goals and Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 3 I. Introduction and Background Information ................................................................................................ 5 A. Purpose of this Plan .............................................................................................................................. 5 B. Planning Process and Public Engagement ............................................................................................ 6 C. County Character .................................................................................................................................. 8 D. Public Parks, Recreation Facilities, and Open Spaces in Charles County ........................................... 12 E. Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Accomplishments since 2012 ........................................... 15 II. Parks, Recreation, and Tourism .............................................................................................................. 21 A. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 21 B. Existing System of Public Parks and Recreation Amenities ................................................................ 22 C. Role and Resources of the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism ............. 33 D. Level of Service Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 39 E. Level of Service Analysis Findings ....................................................................................................... 62 F. Goals and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 63 III. Natural Resource Land Conservation ..................................................................................................... 65 A. Goals and Objectives for Natural Resource Land Conservation ......................................................... 65 B. County Natural Resource Conservation Focus Areas and Protection Programs ................................ 67 C. Policies and Actions ............................................................................................................................ 72 IV. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries ....................................................................................................... 75 A. Agriculture .......................................................................................................................................... 75 B. Forestry and Timberland ..................................................................................................................... 78 C. Fisheries .............................................................................................................................................. 79 D. Goals for Agricultural Land Preservation, Forestry, and Fisheries ..................................................... 79 Appendix A: Demographic Profile – Charles County, Maryland ................................................................. 81 Appendix B: Park and Recreation Influencing Trends ................................................................................. 93 Appendix C: 2016 Open Link Survey Summary Results ............................................................................ 127 Appendix D: LPPRP Inventory ................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix E: Full Sized Maps ..................................................................................................................... 151 Appendix F: Department Organizational Chart ........................................................................................ 189 Appendix G: Statewide Goals .................................................................................................................... 195 ii Charles County, Maryland Table of Tables Table 1: 2015 Charles County General Demographic Profile...................................................................... 10 Table 2: Maryland Department of Natural Resources Properties in Charles County ................................. 27 Table 3: FY2017 Budget – Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism ............................................... 36 Table 4: FY2017 General Fund Allocation – Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism .................... 36 Table 5: Recreation, Parks, and Tourism CIP Approved Funds FY2017 – FY 2021 ...................................... 37 Table 6: 2015 Charles County General Demographic Profile...................................................................... 81 Table 7: Estimated County Household 2016 Recreation Spending Summary ............................................ 96 Table 8: County Household Spending on Recreation, Fitness, and Leisure Activities ................................ 97 Table 9: Water Recreation Participation by Activity (in thousands) (6 years of age or older) ................. 105 Table 10: Top 10 National Fitness Trends for 2015 Compared to 2007 .................................................... 107 Table 11: Ten-Year History of Sports Participation (in millions) 2005-2014 ............................................. 117 Table 12: Cycling and Trail Recreation Participation by Activity (Ages 6+)............................................... 121 Table of Figures Figure 1: Charles County Population Growth Trend ................................................................................... 10 Figure 2: Thomas Stone National Historic Site............................................................................................ 25 Figure 3: Charles County Government Organization Chart FY 2017 ........................................................... 34 Figure 4: Recreation Fund - Program Fee Sources ...................................................................................... 37 Figure 5: Charles County, Maryland Population Growth Trend.................................................................. 82 Figure 6: Population Age Distribution 2015 ................................................................................................ 83 Figure 7: Racial and Ethnic Character 2015 ................................................................................................ 84 Figure 8: Racial/Ethnic Character Comparison 2014 – County to State ..................................................... 84 Figure 9: Educational Attainment of Adults (ages 25+) – County and State (2015) ................................... 85 Figure 10: Educational Attainment of Young Adults (ages 18 – 24) - County and State (2015) ................. 86 Figure 11: Educational Attainment and Median Earnings of Charles County Residents Age 25+ .............. 87 Figure 12: Projected Growth of Households in Charles County ................................................................. 87 Figure 13: 2015 Median Household Income Comparison .......................................................................... 88 Figure 14: Charles County Median Household Income Growth ................................................................. 88 Figure 15: Distribution of Median Household Income in Charles County (2015) ....................................... 89 Figure 16: Employment of County Residents Ages 16+ (2015) ................................................................... 89 Figure 17: Employment by Industry in Charles County (2015) ................................................................... 90 Figure 18: Employment by Occupation of Charles County Residents (2015) ............................................. 91 Figure 19: Estimated County Household Participation in Outdoor Activities ............................................. 94 Figure 20: Estimated Household Participation in Sports and Fitness Activities ......................................... 94 Figure 21: County Household Participation in Leisure Activities ................................................................ 95 Figure 22: General Recreational Spending of Charles County Households ................................................ 96 Figure 23: Millennials (red) Vs. Non-Millennials (grey) on Health and Fitness......................................... 100 Figure 24: A Breakdown of Fitness Sports Participation Rates by Generation ......................................... 107 Figure 25: Changes in Sport Activity Participation 2013 to 2014 ............................................................. 116 Figure 26: Most Popular Outdoor Activities by Rate of Participation ...................................................... 120 Figure 27: Favorite Outdoor Activities