Maryland Greenways Program

Maryland Greenways Program
Name	Maryland Greenways Program
Formation	1990s
Type	State program
Headquarters	Annapolis, Maryland
Parent organization	Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Contents

Maryland Greenways Program is a state initiative administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to plan, fund, and promote linear parks and trail corridors across Maryland. It connects trails, waterways, and conservation lands to support outdoor recreation near Annapolis, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. suburbs while coordinating with federal agencies such as the National Park Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The program interacts with state statutes like the Maryland General Assembly authorizations and regional planning bodies including the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Overview

The program maps and designates greenways that link urban centers such as Baltimore, Maryland and Frederick, Maryland with protected sites including Assateague Island National Seashore, Catoctin Mountain Park, and the Chesapeake Bay. It provides technical assistance for trail design informed by standards from the American Trails organization and safety guidance aligned with the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Its emphasis on land conservation draws on tools used by the Trust for Public Land and funding practices similar to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Origins trace to state initiatives in the late twentieth century linked to conservation efforts of the Chesapeake Bay Program and infrastructure planning by the Maryland Department of Transportation. Early projects partnered with nonprofit organizations such as the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and local governments in counties like Anne Arundel County, Maryland and Montgomery County, Maryland. Legislative acts in the Maryland General Assembly and executive programs under governors including William Donald Schaefer and 1990s Maryland governors influenced expansion, while federal grants from agencies such as the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency supported implementation.

Initiatives include corridor planning, trail acquisition, multimodal access improvements, and habitat restoration modeled after programs like the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy national efforts and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The program administers grant rounds that coordinate with state agencies including the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Department of Planning, and partners with nonprofits such as the Audubon Society of Central Maryland and the Sierra Club state chapters. Community-oriented initiatives align with regional plans by the Anacostia Watershed Society and conservation strategies of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

Notable corridors include alignments connecting urban trails like the Gwynns Falls Trail and the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail to scenic routes such as the C&O Canal towpath and the Anacostia Riverwalk. Projects have linked lands adjacent to Gunpowder Falls State Park, Patapsco Valley State Park, and trailheads near B&O Railroad Museum and Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. Regional greenways intersect with long-distance routes such as the East Coast Greenway and the Appalachian Trail corridor planning, and they serve communities along rivers like the Potomac River and the Susquehanna River.

Oversight is provided by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources with advisory inputs from municipal governments in jurisdictions including Baltimore City and Howard County, Maryland, and regional bodies like the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Funding streams include state appropriations authorized by the Maryland General Assembly, capital grants similar to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, transportation enhancements through the Maryland Department of Transportation, and philanthropic support from organizations such as the Conservation Fund and the Anacostia Watershed Society. Federal assistance has come from agencies including the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Greenways support biodiversity conservation near habitats like Assateague Island National Seashore and riparian corridors along the Chesapeake Bay, and they contribute to watershed restoration efforts coordinated with the Chesapeake Bay Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Recreational benefits include expanded access to trails used for hiking, cycling, and paddling linked to routes like the C&O Canal towpath and the East Coast Greenway, supporting tourism economies in places such as Annapolis, Maryland and Ocean City, Maryland. Ecological projects have incorporated best practices from the National Park Service and restoration partnerships with the Chesapeake Conservancy.

The program collaborates with civic organizations such as the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, and local land trusts like the Patapsco Valley Land Trust, and engages municipal partners in Baltimore County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland. Outreach efforts include volunteer stewardship coordinated with groups like the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, educational programming linked to institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and local universities including the University of Maryland, College Park and Johns Hopkins University. Cross-jurisdictional coordination involves metropolitan entities such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and federal partners like the National Park Service.