BERLIN -- The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved easement purchases on nearly 700 acres through the state’s Rural Legacy Program including a 251-acre tract in Worcester along the Chincoteague Bay.

The three-member Board of Public Works approved measures adding a total of 689 acres to the state’s permanently protected rural landscape and extinguished 52 development rights. In Worcester, the BPW approved the preservation of the 251-acre Tidewater Farms property, adding to the 27,000 acres of farmland and forest already protected in the county along the Chincoteague Bay.

“This property, located on Tanhouse Creek, adds to a greenbelt of protected lands that surround the village of Public Landing,” said County Commission President Bud Church.

The easement will be held by the County Commissioners along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The coastal bays’ Rural Legacy area now totals 26,110 acres, of which nearly 15,000 are currently protected.