NASA Transfers 'Hundred Acre Wood' to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ensuring Conservation in Maryland
A 105-acre forested tract in Greenbelt, Maryland, informally known as the 'Hundred Acre Wood,' has been officially protected from development. NASA transferred the property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during a signing ceremony in July. This land, formerly used for testing rocket fuels near NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, will now be managed as part of the adjoining Patuxent Research Reserve, a publicly accessible national wildlife refuge. The site, formally called Area 400, was declared 'underutilized' by the federal Public Buildings Reform Board in 2021, which initially proposed its sale. However, under pressure from conservationists, the Biden administration rejected the sale, citing the need for additional information. The interagency transfer became effective on February 23 of this year, with NASA subsequently demolishing buildings, roads, and utilities on the property. The Patuxent Research Reserve, now encompassing nearly 13,000 acres, is the largest unfragmented woodland between Washin... 
