For 100 years, the Maryland State Forests and Parks Services have maintained and provided public access to Maryland's most beautiful and historic places. These include Assateague, Elk Neck, the first completed Washington Monument, Fort Frederick, Green Ridge, and Swallow Falls. Maryland's Forests and Parks: A Century of Progress captures the development of the state's forests and parks from their inception in 1906 to the present day. Take a journey with first state forester Fred W. Besley: witness his pioneering efforts to protect Maryland's forests, promote outdoor recreation, and establish the state's earliest public lands along the Patapsco River and throughout Western Maryland. Experience subsequent endeavors of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Department of Forests and Parks to build on Besley's examples to create one of the finest state park and forest systems in the nation. Finally explore the efforts of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to fulfill the mission envisioned by Besley a century ago: to protect, enhance, and restore Maryland's natural resources for the wise use and enjoyment of all citizens.

Rediscover the magic of the Enchanted Forest in this history of Maryland's Storybook Park, the first children's theme park on the East Coast. The history of the Enchanted Forest is one of magical beginnings. When it first opened in 1955, Ellicott City's storybook land became the first children's theme park on the East Coast. Young visitors could climb aboard rides like the Little Toot tugboat, Mother Goose and Ali Baba or encounter animals like peacocks and burros. Upon its closing in 1989, Marylanders who cherished memories of the Enchanted Forest were deeply disappointed. However, many of the park's beloved figures were moved to nearby Clark's Elioak Farm, where they were restored and displayed to the delight of new generations. Even today, the farm is a popular destination that evokes the whimsical spirit of the iconic park. Local author Janet Kusterer and Martha Anne Clark of Elioak Farm trace the park's history through vintage images and interviews with the Harrison family, former employees and visitors. Join Kusterer and Clark to rediscover the magic of the Enchanted Forest.

Although one of the smallest of the fifty states, in many ways Maryland is the United States in miniature, bringing together and exemplifying the diverse elements of the country. In it the North and the South meet, and Maryland is one of the original gateways to the West. Maryland is a study in contrasts, combining the poverty of the Appalachian hill people, the sharecroppers of the South, and the inner-city dwellers of Baltimore with the affluence of country manor estates and fashionable suburbs. Some of America's most rural scenes are interspersed there with some of its largest metropolitan centers. Added to this is a great physical diversity—the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Delmarva Peninsula, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Appalachian Highlands. This book provides an analytical survey of the physical, social, cultural, and economic geography of Maryland. Though the emphasis is on human geography, significant attention is given to the physical base on which the cultural landscape has developed. Environmental issues, such as Chesapeake Bay pollution, coal mining in Western Maryland, and the urbanization of the beaches, are addressed to show how development has often led to conflicts between people and their environments.

The definitive resource for finding, identifying, and conserving Maryland’s amphibians and reptiles. Naturalists, herpetologists, and ecologists alike agree that tracking herpetofauna is a challenging undertaking. Scientists are concerned about the decline of once-familiar species, but evidence has often been too anecdotal to support firm conclusions. To better understand the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Maryland and forecast species' futures in a time of accelerated environmental threats, conducting a comprehensive statewide survey updating 1970s-era distribution maps seemed ideal. However, this endeavor was of an impossibly ambitious scope for scientists alone to tackle. Enter the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas project, comprising nearly a thousand dedicated citizen scientists who discovered and recorded the locations of herpetofauna throughout every corner of Maryland. In The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas, Heather R. Cunningham and Nathan H. Nazdrowicz present the findings of this massive undertaking. This definitive guide combines nearly 160 comprehensive new herpetological maps with historical distribution maps and in-depth species accounts. Color photos illustrate the natural history of the 89 species of frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, and lizards that call the state home. Essays discuss historical studies, the effects of Maryland's current climate, geology, and habitat diversity—and the myriad conservation issues these animals face. This richly detailed book represents a triumph of citizen science and the culmination of an intensive research partnership. It will appeal to both amateurs and professionals interested in herpetology, natural history, or ecology, as well as those with a special interest in Maryland's biodiversity.