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In May 2001, the State of Maryland legislatively created a new program, GreenPrint, designed to protect lands critical to long-term ecological health. These lands, referred to as Maryland's green infrastructure, provide the natural foundation needed to support a diverse plant and animal population, and enables valuable natural processes like filtering water and cleaning the air, to take place.

The Department of Natural Resources has identified over two million acres of green infrastructure lands. The new program is expected to boost the state's land conservation capacity by about 10,000 acres per year for the next five years. State officials hope to leverage other resources and plan to work with citizens, land trusts, and conservation groups to stimulate a variety of actions to protect these important lands.

The funding essentially expands the pool of money available for state land acquisitions. Although Maryland has prominent land preservation programs, including Program Open Space and Rural Legacy, the available funding is not plentiful or flexible enough to encompass the large-lot purchases anticipated under GreenPrint.

GreenPrint is aimed at protecting the most valuable remaining ecological lands in Maryland. These lands are becoming fragmented and are disappearing at a rapid rate, particularly in developing areas. A focused, strategic and sustained conservation initiative among state and local partners is needed to maintain biologically diverse landscapes. GreenPrint will support efforts to steer growth to appropriate areas while preserving portions of the landscape that make Maryland both bountiful and captivating.

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Background

• What is the GreenPrint Program?
• What is Green Infrastructure?
• How will GreenPrint build on current land conservation programs?
• Why do green infrastructure lands need protection by GreenPrint?
• Why should I care about Maryland's GreenPrint Program?

Green Infrastructure (GI) Planning

• Introduction
• Brief Methodology
• Maryland's Green Infrastructure Assessment: A Comprehensive Strategy for Land Conservation and Restoration
• Forest and Green Infrastructure Loss In Maryland 1997-2000, and Implications for the Future
• Maryland's Strategic Forest Lands Assessment (SFLA)

GreenPrint Program Implementation

• Overview
• Project Review and Approval Process
• Working with Local and Private-sector Partners
• GreenPrint Project Status
• Program Open Space (POS)
• MALPF - This link will take you from the DNR site

Products and Services

• View GreenPrint maps
• MERLIN Online - This link will take you from the DNR site

• Order printed maps (lgutierrez@dnr.state.md.us)
  • No charge for up to 5 copies of 11" x 17" maps of individual counties
  • $5 each for more than 5 copies of 11' x 17" maps
• Order Maryland Atlas of Greenways, Water Trails, and Green Infrastructure
• Order digital data (See Technology Toolbox @www.MSGIC.state.md.us.)
• GreenPrint Bill (HB 1379) - This link will take you from the DNR site

References

• Resources for Green Infrastructure

Contact

• For further information on Maryland's GreenPrint Program:
  
  Teresa Moore
  Director, Planning and Technical Services Division
  Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  580 Taylor Ave
  Annapolis, MD 21401
  410-260-8781
  tmoore@dnr.state.md.us
  
  or
  
  Bill Jenkins
  Director, Landscape & Watershed Analysis Division
  Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  580 Taylor Ave
  Annapolis, MD 21401
  410-260-8785
  wjenkins@dnr.state.md.us

For a detailed discussion of the importance of protecting green infrastructure lands and links to other sites, readers may wish to visit the Green Infrastructure web site created by The Conservation Fund @www.greeninfrastructure.net.

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© 2003 Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Snowy Trail Photograph by Debbie Lukacovic