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Maryland and D.C.

Places We Protect

A boardwalk winds through thick foliage shrouded in fog.
Cranesville Swamp Preserve Boardwalk in TNC's Cranesville Swamp Preserve in the Central Appalachian Mountains © TNC

With your help, The Nature Conservancy protects critical natural lands and life-giving waters in Maryland and DC.

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Land Acknowledgement

We offer recognition and respect to the original inhabitants and stewards of Maryland and DC. We acknowledge that the lands and waters in this area were honorably stewarded for millennia by deeply knowledgeable Indigenous communities, and that descendants of these Indigenous communities are still here today. 

Preserve Guidelines

  • Enjoying a morning bird outing on the Blue Mash Trail, Maryland.

    Read our Preserve Guidelines

    The Nature Conservancy’s preserves are set aside to protect natural plant and animal communities. We invite you to observe and enjoy these preserves. Learn More

Featured Preserves

Places We Protect

Bear Island Potomac Gorge

Over many millennia, a rare combination of natural forces carved the unique Potomac Gorge.

Places We Protect

Nassawango Creek Preserve

Nassawango Creek is one of the last pieces of true wilderness left on the East Coast.

Places We Protect

Finzel Swamp Preserve

A window into ice ages past, Finzel Swamp is located in a frost pocket, an area with characteristics of areas much further north.

Places We Protect

Cranesville Swamp

At Cranesville Swamp, the elements of wind, water, mountains and temperature have created a beautiful and rare landscape.

Places We Protect

Mount Olivet Cemetery

Explore a historic cemetery that has been reimagined as an urban arboretum, green space and conservation demonstration site.

Places We Protect

Sideling Hill Creek

Explore one of Maryland's healthiest stream systems with high water quality and healthy aquatic communities.

Other Places We Protect

  • A beaver swims in a lake created by beaver activity. Its head, back and flat tail are visible at the surface of the rippling water. Thick leaves from aquatic plants float behind it.

    Oxbow Nature Preserve

    This important area contains approximately 70 acres of wetland in the floodplain of the Little Patuxent River. Learn More

  • A Delmarva fox squirrel rests on a log. A small brown squirrel stands on top of a fallen log. Its head is raised towards a thin twig with small red leaves as though considering having a nibble.

    Third Haven Woods

    An unusually old hardwood forest on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Third Haven Woods is one of the largest single blocks of forested upland not used for timber in the central Eastern Shore. Learn More

  • A group of six people stand together on a boardwalk in the middle of a forest. They are all facing away from the camera, looking into the trees. The wooden boardwalk curves ahead and disappears.

    Battle Creek Cypress Swamp

    Visit the only stand of bald cypress in Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay. Protected in 1957, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp is The Nature Conservancy's first preserve in Maryland. Learn More

  • Artist Nancy Tankersley works on a plein air oil study of the landscape at King's Creek/Choptank Wetlands preserve.

    Choptank Wetlands

    One of the Chesapeake Bay's most important natural areas that is rich in plant species and bird life and provides habitat for nesting waterfowl and spawning fish. Learn More

  • A prothonotary warbler perches on a tree branch. A small bright yellow bird with black eyes and gray wings.

    Frank M. Ewing / Robinson Neck Preserve

    A birder's delight of undisturbed waterfowl habitat and a sanctuary for bald eagles. The preserve's brackish marshes are of extraordinary ecological value for wintering and nesting waterfowl, spawning fish, sediment control and nutrient production. Learn More

  • Two people in yellow kayaks float together down Nanjemoy Creek. The smooth, flat water reflects the autumn colors of the trees that line the creek bank.

    Nanjemoy Creek

    Nanjemoy Creek Preserve was established to protect a large breeding colony of great blue herons that once nested here. The herons have since moved on, but the preserve abounds with life. Learn More

  • Purple flower with four purple fringed tip petals. The center of the flower is pale yellow.

    Selinger Marsh

    Selinger Marsh lies in the rain shadow of the Appalachian Mountains—this area receives the least rainfall in Maryland. Springs on the surrounding slopes provide the water for the marsh, making it an unusual wetland in a otherwise very dry region. Learn More