The state Board of Public Works approved yesterday spending nearly $5.4 million to buy more than 4,000 acres of marsh, shoreline and river-front land as the first step in a drive to protect natural lands.
Of the six properties being acquired, five are on the Eastern Shore and have a blend of waterfowl and rare plants.
Three, totaling 2,400 acres, border Fishing Bay in Dorchester County; a 335-acre property is on the Nanticoke River in Caroline County; and the fifth is a 990-acre farm in Kent County.
The state also is buying 610 acres in Western Maryland, where the North Branch of the Potomac River meets the Savage River in Garrett County.