Partnering to save endangered animals: Maryland

We're so excited about the new interactive map highlighting endangered species efforts in each state across the nation. Each day we'll feature a state, partner and animal. Subscribe on the right to keep up!

In Maryland and other states, bog turtles are most often found on private lands. These lands need long-term maintenance to maintain quality habitat for bog turtles; otherwise the vegetation growth advances or exotic species invade. 

On Deb English’s horse farm, the solution was grazing by sheep and goats. 

The abundance of bog turtles in pastured wetlands like those on English’s farm suggests that grazing has historically maintained the openness of wetlands needed for habitat. English and her family worked with the Maryland Bog Turtle Partnership to improve a section of their farm for the turtles. 

“These individuals have spent countless hours working with us to delineate bog turtle habitat and to survey the turtle population,” says English. “I’m proud to see this important program expand and continue well into the future.” Read another landowner's story.

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Landowner Greg Wilson holds a bog turtle found in a wetland on his property.  He runs a family-operated produce farm. In 2006, the Service and other partners restored a large section of nesting habitat that enabled the bog turtles to reproduce there for the first time in more than 10 years.

Here are some other stories featured on Maryland’s page:

• Swamp pink: Swamp pink is a perennial herb in the lily family. It is known to occur in headwater streams and mountain bogs from New Jersey to Georgia.
• Atlantic coast piping plover: Find out how human activities affect this dainty, sand-colored shorebird on both its breeding and wintering grounds.
• Bog turtle: North America's smallest turtle, the bog turtle faces the loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat from wetland alteration, development, pollution, invasive species and plant succession.