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First Cool Schools Dunk deemed huge success

From The Garrett County Republican

DEEP CREEK LAKE — On Feb. 22, nearly 400 middle and high school students and staff participated in the first Cool Schools Dunk at Deep Creek Lake.

The event, which occurred the day before the annual Deep Creek Dunk, was established to raise money to help fund the Garrett County Public School’s unified sports teams and the Garrett County community Special Olympics teams. The event raised more than $23,000 in its inaugural year.

“We have schools competing against each other to raise funds for a worthy cause and it doesn’t get any better than that,” Garrett County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Baker said. “We are so excited that our students, our unified sports teams, and our partners at Special Olympics Maryland will all benefit from this event.”

To read the entire article click here.

Popular New Year’s Day tradition returns across Maryland

From The Garrett County Republican

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites everyone to kick off the New Year with one of Maryland’s newest, popular traditions — a First Day Hike.

On Jan. 1, 2019, the Maryland Park Service will offer more than three dozen hikes on more than 30 state lands and parks, as part of a nationwide event sponsored by America’s State Parks.

These hikes will provide a wide array of outdoor adventures and experiences for every level of hiker and walker, providing access to Maryland’s cultural, historical and natural resources and treasures, along with opportunities for education and stewardship. Many hikes are even pet-friendly.

To read the full article click here.

State parks list events

From The Garrett County Republican

Friday, Dec. 21

Science Room open. Scavenger hunts available all day.

Saturday, Dec. 22

11 a.m., What’s That Reptile? — Come to the Discovery Center to learn about the reptiles and amphibians in the center, and you may have a chance to touch these amazing cold-blooded creatures.

1 p.m., Roving Naturalist — Meet some of the folks that care for the animal ambassadors in the Discovery Center. During this time, live animals will be out for a close-up, hands-on experience.

Sunday, Dec. 23

11 a.m., Snowflake Discovery — Join the naturalist to learn about snowflakes. Make a snowflake craft and try to capture “snowflake prints” if weather permits.

2 p.m., Aviary Feeding — Join us to learn some interesting facts, hear each bird’s story, and watch these amazing raptors eat.

To read the full article click here.

Tourism-related revenue continues to grow in Maryland

From The Garrett County Republican

McHENRY — Maryland tourism was the topic of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Before Hours last Tuesday morning at Wisp Resort. About 50 local officials and business owners attended the networking event.

“This was the fourth year of revenue growth in the state of Maryland,” reported guest speaker Liz Fitzsimmons, managing director of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts for the Maryland Department of Commerce. “So we want to keep that trajectory going.”

Her division’s mission, she said, is to grow revenue for the state to benefit its citizens.

For the full article click here.

Common Questions about Conservation Easements

From the Maryland DNR website:

How does it work?

Commonly Asked Questions about Conservation Easements
What is a conservation easement?
A conservation easement is a tool for landowners to protect natural resources and preserve scenic open space. The landowner who gives an easement limits the right to develop and subdivide the land, now and in the future, but still remains the owner. The organization accepting the easement agrees to monitor it forever to ensure compliance with its terms. No public access is required by a conservation easement.

Why put a conservation easement on your land?
Landowners who want to protect a beloved farm and/or their family’s heritage donate conservation easements as a way to prevent their land from becoming developed. There are also tax advantages associated with the donation of an easement.

What kinds of land can be protected by a conservation easement?
Any land whose conservation is in the public interest – woodland, wetlands, farmland, scenic areas, historic areas, wild and scenic rivers, undisturbed natural areas.

Does the Maryland Environmental Trust accept all easement offers?
Easement offers are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Trust staff members are available to visit potential easement sites and meet with interested landowners. The final decision rests with the Board of Trustees. If a property does not meet the Trust’s guidelines, they will recommend another land trust who may hold the conservation easement.

How long does the easement last?
Trust easements are perpetual, and apply to all present and future owners of the land.

What are advantages of donating an easement?
For people who want to preserve their land, an easement will assure that the land will never be used in a way contrary to their intent. Financial benefits in the form of tax deductions are also associated with easements. Easements often make it much easier to pass the land to the owner’s children without paying large estate taxes.

What are disadvantages of donating an easement?
Because an easement restricts development of a property, the market value of the land may be reduced.

Will an easement grant the public access to my property?
No. Public benefits of an easements are only derived from scenic views of the land from public roads or waterways.

Who owns land that is under an easement? Can it be sold?
The landowner who donated the easement remains the owner of the land. The land can be bought and sold. However, the easement “runs with the land” and applies to all future landowners.

Can property owners still live on and use the land if they donate an easement?
Yes. Easements typically allow for changes and additions to houses, construction of farm buildings, and other normal agricultural practices.

Easements may be drafted in various ways. For example, some landowners decide that, for the protection of the land, all development rights should be excluded, so that the land will always look substantially as it does now. Another might wish to allow the option of adding a limited number of future dwellings.

How much is the gift of an easement worth?
The value of an easement gift varies with each easement. Generally, the more the easement restricts the uses of the property, the higher the value of the gift, and hence the higher the tax deduction.

To determine the easement value, the land must be appraised at both its fair market value without the easement restrictions, and its fair market value with the easement restrictions. The difference between these two appraisals is the easement value, from which the tax deductions are derived.

The Trust does not do appraisals, but maintains lists of known appraisers.

How do future owners of a property know that an easement exists?
The easement is recorded in the Land Records of the county government. Any title search (generally done when land changes hands) will therefore reveal the existence of the easement.

Even if future property owners are unaware of the existence of the easement, they remain legally bound by it. The Trust monitors easement properties regularly to make sure of compliance.

One of the Maryland Environmental Trust’s largest responsibilities is to make sure the terms of a conservation easement are followed by future owners of the easement property. The key to this long-term stewardship is monitoring. MET monitors the easements it holds by inspecting properties on a regular basis. Landowners always receive advance notice of a visit and interiors of buildings are not monitored. If we discover the terms of an easement are not being followed, MET will attempt to work with the landowner to correct the problem. If the problem is still not corrected, MET has the right to enforce the easement through the legal system. When an easement is held jointly with a local land trust, that organization shares the monitoring and enforcement duties with MET.

Can Conservation Easements be donated by will?
Yes. The landowner should contact the Trust in advance, however, to ensure that the Trust will accept the gift. It is often better to donate an easement during one’s lifetime, since otherwise one loses the income-tax benefits of the donation.

Is land, which is subject to an easement, immune from condemnation?
A Maryland Environmental Trust easement will protect from condemnation by a municipal or county government. Legal research indicates that it will also protect from condemnation by the State, barring an express act of the Legislature. The Federal Government, however, can condemn a Trust easement.

Is there a yearly deadline for donating an easement to the Trust?
No. The Trust accepts requests at all times. However, if you wish to donate an easement during a particular calendar year, please contact the Trust no later than September of that year.

For more info, visit http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/met/ce.html

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350