Chesapeake Conservancy

MD DNR Green infrastructure

The Chesapeake Conservancy’s Conservation Innovation Center (CIC), in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has delivered an updated Habitat Connectivity Network map for the state. Previously known as "Green Infrastructure," this update provides a comprehensive look at the state’s natural habitat areas and the corridors that connect them, essential for wildlife health and ecosystem services.

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Understanding Habitat Connectivity
Maryland’s Habitat Connectivity Network is a system of:

Hubs: Large, intact natural areas of forest, wetland, or aquatic habitats.
Corridors: Pathways that connect these hubs, enabling species movement for food and reproduction.

These areas are critical for maintaining healthy wildlife populations and providing ecosystem services such as clean water, clean air, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience.

Enhancements in the Updated Map
This update builds on Maryland DNR’s original mapping from 2005 and 2011, utilizing the Chesapeake Bay Program’s cutting-edge 2017/2018 high-resolution land use/land cover mapping. Key improvements include:

Differentiation of hub and corridor types (forest, wetland, aquatic).
Detailed land cover breakdowns within corridors.
Identification of potentially restorable gaps within corridors.

These enhancements offer invaluable insights for environmental planning, allowing targeted and prioritized conservation and restoration efforts across Maryland.

Applications and Impact
The Habitat Connectivity Network supports Maryland DNR, local governments, and nonprofits in:

Protecting ecologically sensitive areas.
Informing the Rural Legacy Grant review system.
Guiding efforts to improve shallow water habitats and enhance coastal resilience.

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Advancing Conservation Goals
Maryland has set a goal to conserve 40% of its lands by 2040 to combat the global nature crisis. These updated data help planners focus on areas where nature can thrive, ensuring the most impactful conservation outcomes.

Access the Data

View the Updated Map Layer: Maryland GreenPrint web map
Download the Data: Maryland iMap Data Catalog

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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