About Us | See the Map | Join the Network
About Us
The Big Picture | What Is a Native Wildlife Network? | Why Are We Doing This? | How Can I Get Involved?
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in learning about Sierra Club Maryland’s Wildlife Network. Below is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the wildlife network and how to get involved. If you have any questions or comments on the contents of this page, please feel free to e-mail us at maryland.wildlife.corridors@protonmail.com.
NOTE: This site is currently under construction, and there may be incomplete sections. Please be patient as we continue to work on optimizing our website!
The Big Picture
The Sierra Club Maryland Natural Places Committee is designing and developing a native wildlife network driven by volunteers and residents of Maryland starting from the city of Mt. Rainier, and expanding into other areas of Maryland, with the goal of eventually connecting to other corridors in surrounding states.
The map above shows the current state of the Maryland Wildlife Network/Corridors. The green regions denote pieces of land that are uninhabited and therefore may be considered wildlife corridors. The colored markers denote areas that have already been recorded as contributing to the wildlife network/corridors. The blue regions denote areas that are considered ‘goals’ to bridge the gap between the green regions and complete the wildlife network. These areas are mainly residential areas, and this is where residents play a key role in completing these corridors.
What Is a Native Wildlife Network?
A native wildlife network is a network of wildlife corridors, or large strips of natural habitat that connects populations of wildlife that would otherwise be separated by urban infrastructure. Below is an explanation of wildlife corridors, why they originated, and why it is critical to maintain and develop wildlife corridors in our areas.
Why Are We Doing This?
As the planet continues to warm and ecosystems begin to change, there will be larger populations of wildlife migrations throughout the continent. Mammals, amphibians, avians, and plant life will migrate in order to adjust to the changing climate of our ecosystems. Current urban infrastructure that has overtaken the natural homes of local wildlife will prohibit these animals from migrating to cooler climates. In order to allow for these migrations to occur, we must facilitate the creation of new wildlife corridors in places that would otherwise be roads or other urban spaces.
Source: Migrations in Motion
Moreover, studies have shown that more green spaces promote physical and mental health as well as helps reduce energy cost in single-family homes. Netherlands scientists discovered that people living in residential areas with the least green spaces had a 44 percent higher rate of physician-diagnosed anxiety disorders than people who lived in the greenest residential areas (source).
How Can I Get Involved?
Volunteering
The Wildlife Network working group is almost entirely run by volunteers. We are a group of diverse individuals with a wide set of skills and professional backgrounds. Whether you’re a professional in marketing, technology, outreach, science, or anything else, your expertise is welcome! If you’d like to volunteer to join The Team, please e-mail maryland.wildlife.corridors@protonmail.com with your expression of interest and a bit about yourself.
Joining the Network
Joining the network is simple and totally free. We only ask that you maintain a portion of your property with native plants that are friendly to the native butterflies and other critters in your neighborhood! To join the network, please sign our Google form. Our map gets updated manually on a periodic basis, so please be patient while we get your property added to the network. In the meantime, you can e-mail us at maryland.wildlife.corridors@protonmail.com if you have any questions/comments.