Chesapeake Conservancy

Greenbury Point Conservation Area

Greenbury Point Conservation Area, Navy property managed by Naval Support Activity (NSA) Annapolis, is one of the last remaining natural areas at the mouth of the Severn River on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis. This popular public destination for nature lovers, runners, anglers and dog walkers faces the risk of development into an exclusive golf course by the Naval Academy Golf Association/Naval Academy Athletics Association.

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Such a development would cause serious and irreparable damage to the environment and an area steeped in pre-Colonial and colonial history that is home to three iconic radio towers, once used for communication with submarines.

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There is already a recently renovated Navy golf course on the Greenbury Point peninsula. There is nothing else like Greenbury Point, which is designated as a conservation area under the Naval Support Activity Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan required under federal law.

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Greenbury Point is one of the few places in Annapolis where residents and visitors can recreate and experience nature along the Chesapeake Bay. It should be preserved unimpaired for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. It is also entirely within the boundary of the Maryland Critical Area, designated by the state of Maryland as crucial to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

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Three remaining radio towers serve as a reminder of Greenbury Point's unique 20th century US Naval communication infrastructure.
Photo by David Sites

Chesapeake Conservancy has partnered with Severn River Association and Chesapeake Bay Foundation in opposition to this ill-conceived proposal. Twenty-five nonprofits signed a joint letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro in opposition to the second golf course and the two U.S. senators and two representatives also voiced their concern.

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Additionally, in December 2023, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included language introduced by Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Cardin and Representative John Sarbanes protecting public access at Greenbury Point Conservation Area in Anne Arundel County and sent a second letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro. While this is a positive development, Chesapeake Conservancy and partners seek permanent protection of this Chesapeake treasure as a Navy National Monument to commemorate naval history.

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Please consider taking the following actions:

Learn more about the history of Greenbury Point.
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Sign the petition sponsored by Chesapeake Conservancy and Severn River Association at www.change.org/p/save-greenbury-point and share the petition with your networks.
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Join the grassroots efforts and stay informed by joining “Save Greenbury Point” on Facebook.
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Please write to the following members of Congress listed below and ask them to pass legislation that would permanently protect Greenbury Point Conservation Area. If you are not a resident of Maryland, please write to your member of Congress and carbon copy these four offices. To find out your representatives in Congress, please go to the following website: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
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The Honorable Ben Cardin
United States Senate
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
www.cardin.senate.gov
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The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
United States Senate
110 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
www.vanhollen.senate.gov
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The Honorable C.A. Ruppersberger
U.S. House of Representatives
2206 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
www.ruppersberger.house.gov
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The Honorable John Sarbanes
U.S. House of Representatives
2370 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
www.sarbanes.house.gov

2024

Chesapeake Conservancy Seeks Funding through America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: America the Beautiful Challenge
Advocated for a Land and Water Conservation Fund allocation of $750,000 for Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the annual appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025

2023

Chesapeake Conservancy and partners worked to conserve 178 acres in Delaware and Maryland (in progress)

2022

Participate in master planning process for Nanticoke Crossing Park (ongoing)
Advocated for congressional earmark of $1.2million in funding for a new sewer pipe at Oyster House Park in Seaford

2021

The City of Seaford, Chesapeake Conservancy and partners celebrate the grand opening of Oyster House Park along the Nanticoke River
Nanticoke Crossing Park is opened in Sussex County, DE, along the Nanticoke River through REPI and Mt. Cuba Foundation funding
On the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, Chesapeake Conservancy along with many valued partners welcomed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in Vienna, Maryland, as she visited the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape to highlight this Sentinel Landscape partnership
Partnership preserves 270 Acres in Wicomico County
Partnership Conserves 318 Acres in Dorchester County

2020

Partnership Conserves 438 Acres in Wicomico County

2019

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Add 27 Acres to National Wildlife Refuge
Partnership Conserves 233 Acres of Farmland in Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area
Grand opening of Woodland Wharf’s improved public access to the Nanticoke with boat dock, canoe/kayak launch and other amenities

2018

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Conserve 155 Acres through Two Projects on the Nanticoke River
Partnership Conserves 230-acre Farm, Linking Protected Areas to Create a 7,730-acre-Corridor of Conserved Lands

2017

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 millionto protect an additional 533 acres of land farmland that will helppreserve the rural character of the Sentinel Landscape and furtherthe mission of the federal, state, and non-profit partners

2016

The Department of Defense (DoD) nationallycompetitive REPI Challenge awarded $1 million to helpconserve lands located within the newly designated Naval Air StationPatuxent River and Atlantic Test Ranges Sentinel Landscape inSouthern Maryland and along the Nanticoke River

2015

The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior designated the Nanticoke River and its surrounding areas as the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape
Chesapeake Conservancy raises $1.65 million to protect additional key properties along the Nanticoke River
USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) selects the Chesapeake Bay is one of eight Critical Conservation Areas, including $5 million for a public-private conservation partnership in the Delmarva region

2014

Chesapeake Conservancy’s Nanticoke River proposal was awarded $1 million through the Department of Defense’s nationally competitive REPI Challenge to protect property along the Nanticoke to protect Naval Air Station Patuxent River readiness
Chesapeake Conservancy processed 1 m x 1 m, high resolution land use land cover data for the Nanticoke River watershed, enhancing decision making options for all of our partners
Chesapeake Conservancy, in partnership with Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) and The Conservation Fund, conserved 17.7 acres of land along Chapel Branch, a tributary to the Nanticoke River near Seaford, DE
Chesapeake Conservancy Hosts National Conference on Landscape-Scale Conservation Initiatives

2013

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 million to protect key properties along the Nanticoke River

2012

Chesapeake Conservancy supports Delaware’s acquisition of Woodland Wharf, expanding public access to the Nanticoke River

2008

On the heels of the establishment of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, the U.S. Department of the Interior, states of Delaware and Maryland, and the Chesapeake Conservancy signed an agreement to work together to protect the Nanticoke River

2006

Congress establishes the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail which includes the Nanticoke River