Why We Exist

There is a rich tradition of action and collaboration among the many public entities, private companies, and nonprofit organizations in the region working towards a “greener” Maryland.  This Coalition works to build on that hard work and collaboration to add the value of a specific, measurable, vision of a sustainable urban future.

The great American transcendental writer Henry David Thoreau is quoted as saying “In wilderness is the preservation of the world”, and with a world that is facing rapid urbanization, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events, there is a growing need for preservation and wilderness.   The Greater Baltimore Wilderness is as diverse in its landscapes as it is in its residents, the region includes cities, forests, farmland, suburbs, industry, highways, and parks. 

In the Greater Baltimore Region’s Wilderness there is the preservation of Maryland.  This region is the economic engine of the State.  With its over four million residents, this land of pleasant living near the Bay is also the land of hard work, and big challenges.  The Greater Baltimore Wilderness Region has over 780 miles of shoreline, all threated by rising sea levels.  And despite decades of hard work the region still bears scars of environmental degradation.

However, the region also includes the beautiful swaths of green river corridors of both the Patapsco and Patuxent watersheds preserved in a network of public and private lands. These corridors provide environmental benefit as well as public access to hundreds of miles of  dirt and gravel trails in this very populated region.  Baltimore itself is one of the few large urban areas in the world willing to embrace a significant, wild space within its city limits, the 1,200 acre Gwynn's Falls/Leakin Park is home to migratory songbirds, a wooded stream valley and one of the only urban Outward Bound schools in the world. 

Wilderness is as much about the region as Blue Crabs, Baltimore Orioles and Natty Boh. Our Task is to raise Wilderness in the people's consciousness and identify the specific ways we can work together to enhance that Wilderness.