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The "Prothonotary Trail" is now open, for guided tours only. To inquire about a tour please contact the MD/DC office.
Nassawango is home to an abundant array of wildlife and native plants, including many species of orchids and warblers. The Conservancy has worked since 1978 in this area, protecting more than 15 square miles of majestic bald cypress swamps and upland forest along Nassawango Creek.
One of the Northernmost Bald Cypress Swamps
Climb into a canoe and paddle along Nassawango Creek.
This tannin-stained waterway is steeped in early American history and one of the most beautiful and tranquil places in Maryland. From Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Nassawango Creek flows southward into Pocomoke River, a major tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
Dominated by bald cypress and black gum, the massive trees of this primeval forest envelop visitors with ample shade and security. The preserve is one of the northernmost remaining examples of a bald cypress swamp.
With more than 60 recorded species of migratory birds, such as the scarlet tanager, yellow-throated vireos and prothonotary warbler, there’s no doubt that Nassawango Creek is a critical stopover point for migratory birds.
Nassawango Creek abuts portions of Pocomoke State Forest, a nearly 15,000-acre forest of loblolly pine and cypress swamps. Large, intact forests also serve as corridors for large mammals, such as deer, and help sustain the overall health of the forest by allowing the forest to survive and recover from destructive events such as hurricanes and wild fires. Along the boundary of Nassawango Creek Preserve is Furnace Town, an historic village.
Marked by maturity, ecological integrity and relative scarcity of harmful invasive plants and animals, bobcat, mink, fox and a host of interior forest nesting bird species thrive here. Rare plants such as pink lady’s slipper, cardinal flower and Indian pipe color the forest floor.
Current Conservation At Work
- The Conservancy recently planted 120 native saplings, a mixture of persimmon and pin oak trees, on a former farm field at Nassawango Creek. The trees, donated to the Conservancy from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, are good food sources for migratory birds. Once fully grown the trees planted also will help reduce the instance of noxious weeds and provide better connected forests in the preserve.
- At several bogs deep within the preserve, our stewardship staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to thin encroaching hardwoods to make room for native vegetation. We have already seen a resurgence of pitcher plants, rare grasses and rare sedges growing in the bog.
- We completed an extensive bird and vegetation survey to guide our future restoration work and to aid our conservation partners in their habitat classification efforts.
- In January 2009, the Conservancy negotiated the organization’s largest-ever transaction in Maryland to protect the 4,769-acre Foster property — a sound investment that will produce ecologic, cultural and economic dividends far into the future. Read more about the Foster tract.
Contact Us
For more information about Nassawango, contact Joe Fehrer at
Get to know Joe Fehrer, Land Manager for Nassawango Creek Preserve.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Erika Nortemann/TNC (Tourists canoeing and kayaking on Nassawango Creek); Photo © Janet Haas (River Otter); Photo © Mary Droege/TNC (Nassawango Creek).
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