WESTMINSTER, MD, Thursday, July 29, 2021 – Today in open session, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners received an informational briefing for an event celebrating Carroll County achieving the milestone of 75,000 preserved acres; 75% of the county’s overall 100,000-acre goal. 

The county invites all residents and interested parties to attend Celebrating 75,000 Acres Preserved & Growing, an event celebrating the county’s attainment of 75,000 acres of preserved agricultural land. The celebration is Saturday, October 16, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Carroll County Farm Museum. The day is free to the public as part of the Farm Museum’s Fall Harvest Celebration and includes a special commemorative ceremony at 12:30 pm on the Farm Museum stage.   

Carroll County reached the milestone of 75,000 acres preserved in October of 2020 but postponed the celebration due to the pandemic. To recognize the occasion, Celebrating 75,000 Acres Preserved & Growing will feature a ceremony and a special exhibit recognizing this agricultural preservation accomplishment. A free morning bus tour featuring nearby preserved farms is available with registration. Register online on the county webpage, first come, first served. An educational campaign will accompany the event promoting the benefits of preservation to the community and the importance of “growing” preserved land acreage to attain the remaining 25,000 acres.

Operating since 1980, Carroll County’s Agricultural Land Preservation effort is the most successful in Maryland, preserving more farms and more acres through the purchase of land preservation easements than any other county in Maryland.  Carroll County’s program also ranks among the nation’s top five similar programs administered by local governments in the United States.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend and more information can be found on the county’s webpage celebratingagpres.carrollcountymd.gov. Updates will be announced closer to the event.  For more information, please contact Brenda Dinne by emailing bdinne@carrollcountymd.gov  or calling 410-386-2140.