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The Nature Conservancy Appoints New Land Manager for Nassawango Creek Preserve

Son of the late “Nassawango Joe” to oversee stewardship of state’s largest privately owned nature preserve

BETHESDA, MD — The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC has appointed Joseph “Joe” Fehrer Jr. as land manager for its Nassawango Creek Preserve, the largest private nature reserve in Maryland. Fehrer has served as a volunteer for the Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek stewardship committee since he joined the committee at age 21. Most recently, he served as the committee’s chairman. 

“The Nature Conservancy greatly values the strong connections it fosters with local communities,” said Nat Williams, vice president and state director of the Conservancy in Maryland/DC. “Joe Fehrer Jr. practically grew up at Nassawango Creek Preserve and cares deeply for this landscape, as its part of his family’s history. Joe will continue the legacy of deep community involvement at this biologically important place.”

Nassawango Creek is one of Maryland’s most pristine waterways.  Along its banks lie majestic bald cypress swamps and upland forests, making Nassawango one of the most beautiful and tranquil places in the state.  Nassawango is home to an abundant diversity of life, including many species of orchids, warblers, and other plants and animals.

In 1977, Fehrer’s father, affectionately known as “Nassawango Joe,” learned of a plan to clear and flood 300 acres along Nassawango Creek. He urged the Conservancy to make the area a conservation priority. The late Joe Fehrer worked with the Conservancy for years to guide the expansion of the preserve. Today, Nassawango Creek Preserve spans more than 9,300 acres.

“At my last visit to the preserve with my dad, I came to understand what he saw in the preserve, which was a raw beauty of the place,” said Joseph “Joe” Fehrer, Jr. “I think I’ve gotten to feel, in some small way, how he felt about the preserve. There are areas that have to be saved and areas that have to be left untouched.”

In addition to his longtime volunteer work with the Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek stewardship committee, Fehrer has spent the last 22 years running a historic home restoration business on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He also serves as president of the board of the Assateague Coastal Trust. Fehrer will be based out of the Nature Conservancy’s office at the Furnace Town visitor’s center in Snow Hill.

Nassawango Creek Preserve is open year round for nature walks, birdwatching, and canoeing.  The Nature Conservancy & Furnace Town Visitor Center is open from April 1 to October 31 between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 64,000 acres in Maryland and Washington, DC—and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.  Visit us on the Web at nature.org/maryland.