A Maryland version of Winnie-the-Pooh’s fabled magical forest has been officially protected from development.
Informally known as the “Hundred Acre Wood,” the forested tract was transferred by NASA to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during a signing ceremony in July. The 105-acre property is now managed as part of the adjoining Patuxent Research Reserve, which is a publicly accessible national wildlife refuge.
“Through working with partners on the best use of land, as exemplified with this land transfer, we can continue to conserve America’s natural beauty and expand outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Brian Nesvik.
The site, which sits near NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, was formerly used for testing rocket fuels. But with the exception of a 2.5-acre cluster of buildings in its interior, the entire landscape was left covered with woods.
The federal Public Buildings Reform Board in 2021 declared the property, formally called Area 400, to be “underutilized” so that it could be sold. The board proposed transferring it to Fish and Wildlife, enabling it to be added to the refuge. But those officials decreed the deal could only move forward if the sister agency paid “fair market value.” Otherwise, it would be sold to the highest bidder.
Under pressure from conservationists, the Biden administration rejected the move along with more than a dozen other potential sales of federal property, citing the need for additional information.
The interagency transfer was effective on Feb. 23 this year, and NASA subsequently demolished the buildings, roads and utilities on the property.
The Patuxent Research Reserve encompasses nearly 13,000 acres of mostly forested land, making it the largest unfragmented woodland between Washington and Baltimore. It is the nation’s only wildlife refuge singularly dedicated to supporting wildlife research.