Maryland's 'Hundred Acre Wood' Preserved from Development, Added to Patuxent Research Reserve
A 105-acre forested tract in Maryland, informally known as the “Hundred Acre Wood,” has been officially protected from development. This land, formerly owned by NASA and used for testing rocket fuels, was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in July. It will now be managed as part of the adjoining Patuxent Research Reserve, a publicly accessible national wildlife refuge. The property, formally called Area 400, was declared “underutilized” by the federal Public Buildings Reform Board in 2021, which initially proposed selling it. However, under pressure from conservationists, the Biden administration rejected this sale and more than a dozen other potential federal property sales. The interagency transfer became effective on February 23 of this year, after which NASA demolished existing buildings, roads, and utilities on the site, ensuring its preservation as a natural habitat. 
