Maryland Wildland

In 1971, the Maryland State Legislature passed the Wildlands Protection Act. Under this law, the legislature can protect certain publicly owned areas from logging or other incursions, and thus preserve them for future generations. To date, 29 Maryland Wildlands have been so designated.

The Maryland Wildlands Preservation System is the state's counterpart to the federal government's National Wilderness Preservation System, and consists of all those properties owned and managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources which are designated as State wildlands by the Maryland General Assembly. Each tract of land designated as a Maryland Wildland “overlaps” all or part of a state park, forest, wildlife management area or other DNR land unit (i.e., they are not "stand alone" units).

In all, there are now 43,773 acres (177.14 km²) of Maryland Wildlands in the state.

List of Maryland Wildlands

Garrett County:

• Within the Savage River State Forest
  • Savage Mountain Wildland (1973)
  • Bear Pen Wildland
  • Middle Fork Wildland
  • High Rock Wildland
  • Savage Ravines Wildland
  • South Savage Wildland

Allegany County:

• Within the Green Ridge State Forest
  • Deep Run Wildland
  • Maple Run Wildland
  • Potomac Bends Wildland
• Within Rocky Gap State Park
  • Rocky Gap Wildland

Washington County:

• Within the Sideling Hill Wildlife Management Area
  • Sideling Hill Wildland

Frederick County:

• Within Cunningham Falls State Park
  • Cunningham Falls State Park Wildland

Frederick and Montgomery Counties:

• Within the Islands of the Potomac Wildlife Management Area
  • Islands of the Potomac Wildland

Baltimore County:

• Within North Point State Park
  • Black Marsh Wildland
• Within Gunpowder Falls State Park
  • Gunpowder Falls Wildland
  • Panther Branch Wildland
  • Sweathouse Branch Wildland
  • Mingo Branch/Bush Cabin Run Wildland
• Within the Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area
  • Soldiers Delight Wildland

Howard and Montgomery Counties:

• Within Patuxent River State Park
  • Patuxent River Wildland

Prince George's County:

• Within the Belt Woods Natural Environment Area
  • Belt Woods Wildland (1997)

Calvert County:

• Within Calvert Cliffs State Park
  • Calvert Cliffs Wildland

St. Mary's County:

• Within St. Mary's River State Park
  • St. Mary's River Wildland

Charles County:

• Within the Mattawoman Natural Environment Area
  • Mattawoman Wildland

Caroline County:

• Within the Idylwild Wildlife Management Area
  • Idylwild Wildland

Worcester County:

• Within the Pocomoke River State Forest and/or Pocomoke River State Park
  • Pocomoke River Wildland
  • Cypress Swamp Wildland

Somerset County:

• Within the Cedar Island Wildlife Management Area
  • Cedar Island Wildland

External links

• The Maryland Wildlands Preservation System webpage at the Maryland DNR Website
  • Maryland Wildland acreage