Some preservationists are upset that Sagamore Farms, which has received $2.4 million from Maryland to preserve its storied, rolling Worthington Valley fields, has leased part of the land for $20,000 to provide parking for spectators attending the 2002 U.S. Senior Open.

The parking deal with the golf tournament being held at nearby Caves Valley Golf Club, preservationists said, violates the farm's lucrative agreement with Maryland to preserve land famous as a training ground for prize-winning thoroughbreds while undercutting an important state land conservation program.

"If we're serious about saving this land, then we don't allow exceptions," said Douglas G. Worrall, a Sagamore neighbor and lawyer who specializes in land preservation.

Tournament planners and Baltimore County and state officials disagree, and said the land would not be harmed by parking cars there. They also have pledged to leave the land in the condition they found it.

From today through Sunday, up to 5,000 cars per day are expected to be parked at the Baltimore County farm at Tufton and Greenspring avenues.

Baltimore County officials said preservation agreements were not checked before permission for parking was granted. And the state agency that paid James J. Ward III, a Baltimore developer who owns Sagamore Farms, is supposed to sign off any nonagricultural uses but was effectively forced to accept the parking. It is not clear whether Ward notified anyone about the preservation agreement. He did not return numerous calls seeking comment.

Jim Conrad, administrator of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, said the agency and its board of trustees should have been consulted before the deal with Ward was made.

"We never had an opportunity to review the activity," he said. "It was sort of presented as an accomplished fact. The board feels strongly it should be able to review the activity."

The danger to the 80 acres is that corn planned for the land will not grow if vehicles pack the soil. Vehicles also could leak oil into the soil. Although Conrad said he doubts that a week of parking would inflict such damage, preservationists said the strength of Maryland's land preservation efforts hinges on enforcing the state's costly deals to protect farms, rather than treating them as an afterthought.

Jack Dillon, executive director of the Valleys Planning Council, a private land-preservation group that includes the Worthington Valley area, said the state should not subsidize landowners such as Ward, who ignore the rules to make lucrative deals, to preserve their farmland.

"Is that proper use of state money?" he asked.

Worrall said the golf tournament could have used parking at Rosewood, a nearby state mental institution, or other sites in the area that are not protected land. He blamed Gov. Parris N. Glendening and Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger for letting the prestige and estimated $46 million from the tournament trump the effort to preserve the environment.

Spokeswomen for the two officials disputed the accusation, saying each is a strong supporter of the environment who ensured that the impact on the land would be minimal and its agricultural use would be restored.

Michelle Byrnie, a spokeswoman for Glendening, said the governor would not hurt Maryland farmland.

"The governor has a national reputation for environmental regulation," she said. "It's ridiculous to say he is putting economics above the environment. That is just not true."

Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for Ruppersberger, said, "It's certainly a coup for Baltimore County to have this tournament here. ... In making these arrangements, we wanted to make sure the agricultural integrity of the farm wasn't compromised."

Once owned by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Sagamore was one of the premier facilities for rearing thoroughbred horses. Native Dancer and other prize-winning horses trained within its red-roofed buildings and white-board fences.

Ward purchased the farm in 1987. From that year through 1991, he signed five agreements with MALPF to protect Sagamore Farms and neighboring properties in exchange for $2.4 million, said Donald H. Vandrey, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. MALPF received what are called "conservation easements" on the various parcels -- essentially, it bought from Ward his rights to develop the properties or use them for commercial purposes. A local land preservation group got another such easement on the farm in 1997, but it did not pay Ward.

Generally, the easements "restrict the land to agricultural use" and bar its "industrial, commercial or residential use."

Ward leased part of the farm to farmer Charles Ensor to grow corn. Ensor said that Ward's deal to provide parking for the U.S. Senior Open has delayed some of his planned farming, but, he said, "I don't have a problem with it."

A major sporting event, the golf tournament is a championship for golfers age 55 and older, including such greats as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who are scheduled to play this year. More than 25,000 fans are expected to attend each day. More than a year ago, after being awarded the tournament, Caves Valley Golf Club began planning. Nancy Palmer, its general manager, said traffic engineers and county police and officials were interested in using part of Sagamore because it would provide the best traffic flow.

In December, Caves Valley leased the site from Ward. In January, the county granted a temporary parking permit.

"To me, the parking is not a commercial use," said Arnold Jablon, director of the county Department of Permits and Development Management, who said the county has allowed parking on fields for events for a half-century. Ward did not tell anyone at the club or in county government about the conservation easements on the site, Palmer said, and county officials do not check as part of the permitting process, Jablon said.

Caves Valley learned from a neighbor it was using preserved land about two months ago, Palmer said. But, she said, "There really wasn't an alternative location." Besides, she added, the tournament's start was approaching. The club was ready to send out tickets with directions to the temporary lot.

So Caves Valley agreed to post a $100,000 bond to cover any damage and to restore the land to its previous condition.

The land, Palmer said, should be ready for planting by the end of next month.

Conrad of the MALPF said the Sagamore Farms easements are fuzzy and probably would permit the land's temporary use for parking.

But Dillon, of the Valleys Planning Council, said the easements do not allow such a use, although he agreed that the economic benefit from the Senior Open is a legitimate consideration: "I think what happened is the importance of the event got ahead of the planners of the event. They didn't realize the farm they planned on using was protected by the easement program, but it was too late to change it."