Collections by Subject: Maryland's Environment, Issues and Organizations
A Selected List of Holdings in Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
For more information about how to access materials in this guide, please visit the Maryland Room web page or fill out an information request.
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Maryland Agricultural
Experiment Station records, 1852-1983. 34.50 linear
feet.
Location: University of Maryland
This organization was established to improve the practice and profitability of agriculture through the application of the resources of science. The MAES records cover the administrative, research, university, and national activities of the station. Topics related to Maryland's environment include: forestry, soil conservation, botany, horticulture, and entomology.
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Robert M. August papers, 1970-1983. 3 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Robert M. August was a natural resource planner on the staff of the State Planning Department in Baltimore. After leaving the department in early 1970, he served as staff to the Maryland General Assembly Natural Resources Committee's Conservation Sub-Committee. Included in this collection are materials relating to government activities and legislation concerning environmental issues in Maryland. Specific issues addressed include coastal wetland legislation and power plant siting legislation, and materials relating to these issues constitute a majority of the collection.
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Baltimore Environmental Center archives, 1969-1994. 52.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This local organization is concerned with environmental issues in the Baltimore metropolitan area, including air and water quality, solid and hazardous waste, transportation, wildlife, recycling, and the Chesapeake Bay.
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Harry Clifton Byrd papers, 1895-1970. 28.25 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Byrd was President of the University of Maryland from 1935 to 1954. After his retirement, he became chairman of the Tidewater Fisheries Commission, and was particularly concerned with the revitalization of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River.
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Central Atlantic Environment Center archives, 1966-1974. 2.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This organization analyzes and collects information on natural resource issues in the Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia areas, and disseminates it to citizens and civic, business, and political leaders. Issues and areas addressed include: Maryland wetlands; attempts to develop or industrialize undeveloped parts of Maryland; Calvert Cliffs; and Cove Point.
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Chesapeake Bay Foundation archives, 1963-1989. 5.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This non-profit organization was established to promote the preservation of the ecological well-being of the Chesapeake Bay through conserving its natural resources, combating pollution, and educating the public. Important issues documented in the foundation's records include the environment of the Bay, as well as actions proposed and undertaken to eliminate threats to this environment. Other subjects addressed are: the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Piney Point Oil Refinery, development of the Goodwin Islands, and Kent County gravel operations.
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Coalition to Preserve Black Marsh records, 1945-1999. 5.25 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The Coalition to Preserve Black Marsh was a non-profit citizen's action group formed in 1990 to preserve and to conserve Baltimore County's Black Marsh, a 232-acre marsh that lies within North Point State Park, part of the Gunpowder Falls Maryland State Park system. In 1987, Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) purchased the land that comprises North Point State Park from Bethlehem Steel and began to develop plans for the park, including such facilities as a refurbished trolley station, parking lot, visitors' center, and boat slip. The Coalition strongly objected to the DNR's plans and spearheaded a number of non-litigious activities to raise awareness about Black Marsh and to voice concern about the DNR's proposal. In addition, the group unsuccessfully pursued several legal actions hoping to change the DNR's plans for the park. In Summer 1996, the Coalition became the Friends of North Point State Park and appears to have disbanded officially in Summer 1997. The collection contains minutes and correspondence of the Coalition; records of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' activities relating to the development of North Point State Park; copies of publicity campaigns, including relevant articles; maps and photographs of the state park; a video of a panel hearing in 1991; and official and unofficial documentation of the Coalition's legal activity, including files kept by its attorneys. |b The bulk of the materials concentrates on the active years of the Coalition, 1990 to 1994. Early twentieth-century materials include photocopies of court cases and statutes.
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Rhea Cohen papers, 1965-1979. 4.5 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The papers of Rhea Cohen consist of environmental materials related to Maryland and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Cohen worked for the Sierra Club from 1973 to 1980, when she represented the citizens and environmental concerns of Prince Georges County. A water quality expert, Mrs. Cohen's records reflect her work leading the opposition to the construction of the Greenbriar sewage treatment plant. Other projects heavily represented in the collection are the Potomac River clean-up and BARC surplus land. Accession 2006-117 contains additional materials pertaining specifically to Greenbelt, Maryland.
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Cooperative Extension Service (CES) records, 1914-1972. 4.50 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
This agency was founded in 1914 to improve community life. It concentrates its activities in eight specific areas including agricultural profitability, natural resources, and enhancement of community vitality. Among the records of the CES are files which document their sponsorship of various environmental programs and activities.
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Cronin, L. Eugene, 1925-2000. 21.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Dr. Lewis Eugene Cronin (1917-1998) was a zoologist and estuarine researcher who specialized in the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Cronin received his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Maryland, writing a dissertation on the biology of the blue crab. Dr. Cronin served as a professor at the University of Delaware from 1950-1955 and as a Research Professor and Director, Natural Resources Institute at the University of Maryland. From 1977 to 1984 Dr. Cronin served as Director of the Chesapeake Research Consortium. In addition to his duties with Chesapeake Bay research organizations Dr. Cronin worked for the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research and served as a consultant for various government agencies in and around both Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Cronin was active with the Sierra Club of Maryland and other local environmental organizations. Dr. Cronin maintained active correspondence with environmental and estuarine research groups throughout the United States, as well as groups in Canada and Europe. This collection includes materials related to Dr. Cronin's M.S. and Ph. D. theses, lecture notes, correspondence, consulting work, academic and popular publications, committee activities, and travel. Materials are primarily in English, with a small number related to a June, 1989 trip to Portugal in Portoguese. Multimedia items include projection slides, dry-mount microscope slides, photographs, maps and charts, one VHS tape (runtime 5.00 minutes) and one Hi-8 video tape (runtime unknown).
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Anneke Davis papers, 1969-2004. 22.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Papers collected by Anneke Davis relating to environmental concerns in the state of Maryland. Prominent are planning files related to Baltimore City development and those relating to Cove Point in southern Maryland. Many of the publications were transferred to the Marylandia and Rare Books Department. The collection is unprocessed but a preliminary inventory is available.
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Department of Entomology records, 1893-1986. 29 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Teaching, research, regulation, and extension service characterize the entomological program at the University of Maryland at College Park. Important environmental topics represented in the collection include control of introduced insects such as the European Corn Borer and the Japanese beetle; mosquito and fly control; chemical controls such as DDT and chlordane; and techniques for spraying and dusting crops.
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Kenneth Grace papers, 1913-1973. 1.00 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Grace was a 1916 graduate of the Maryland Agricultural College who was later employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His field books and fishing diaries record environmental conditions and life on Maryland's Eastern shore and the Chesapeake Bay.
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Elizabeth K. Hartline papers, 1951-2001. 24.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This collection is comprised of material documenting the activities of numerous Maryland environmental groups. Included are newsletters, correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes. Large portions of the collection document the Maryland Conservation Council, the Long Green Valley Association, and the Maryland Environmental Trust. See also: Maryland Conservation Council. The collection is unprocessed but a preliminary inventory is available.
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Department of Horticulture records, 1888-1971. 25.25 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
The Department of Horticulture of the University of Maryland at College Park is involved in teaching and research in the areas of pomology, olericulture, landscape management, and floriculture and the provision of extension services. The records of this department contain a variety of materials documenting urban, environmental, recreational and landscape horticulture.
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Hyattsville Horticultural Society archives, 1912-1982. 7.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Scrapbooks documenting the efforts of this organization to beautify the Hyattsville area of Prince George's County.
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Helmut Landsberg papers, 1906-1985. 20.25 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Landsberg was a professor of meteorology at the University of Maryland at College Park. Among his many research interests were biometeorology, climatology, and the effects of urbanization on the environment.
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Daniel S. Lynch papers, 1981-1999. 2.50 linear feet and 22 oversize items.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Lynch was an environmental activist and vice president of the Coalition to Preserve Black Marsh. The papers relate to natural conservation campaigns, particularly Black Marsh and North Point State Park in Baltimore County, Maryland. Lynch participated in several other environmental preservation struggles as a member and supporter. Lynch contributed his time and attention to efforts to save Chapman's Landing, Brookview Farm, Oregon Ridge, Cromwell Valley, and other natural areas of central Maryland. Materials include correspondence, notebooks, news clippings, reports, newsletters, member lists, promotional materials, photographs and negatives, maps, posters, and a sketchbook.
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Romeo Mansueti papers, 1922-1963. 21.25 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Mansueti was a biologist and research professor at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Among his papers are files documenting his research on fish migration, bionomics of freshwater and estuarine fish populations, and the taxonomy and ecology of fish eggs.
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Maryland Conservation Council archives, 1970-1986. 4.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This organization is actively involved in a broad range of environmental issues throughout the state, such as: acid rain, air quality, clean water, hazardous waste, and land use.
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Maryland Wilderness Association archives, 1969-1974. 0.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This organization supports the preservation and protection of the land, water, scenic, and recreational resources of Maryland. Among the areas and issues addressed by the group and documented in their records are: Assateague Parkland, the Annemessex Maritime Industrial Park, Canal and River Rights Council, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Patuxent River Basin Plan, and whistling swans.
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W. Joseph Moyer papers, 1857-1986. 82.75 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Moyer, former State Climatologist of Maryland, assembled extensive climatological data from cooperative weather stations throughout the state. Reports from some stations date from as early as 1822.
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Vivian Newman Collection, 1978-2000. 9.00 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The Vivian Newman Collection contains documents relating to the Clean Water Act, coastal barrier resoures, non-tidal wetlands, the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Eastern Shore projects, and the Ocean Protection Act. Included is legislation relating to environmental concerns, and advocacy efforts, such as letter writing campaigns and public flyers. The collection is unprocessed.
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Phi Mu Fraternity, 1923-1945. 5.00 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Initiates to this engineering honor society were required to prepare a research paper on an engineering topic of their choice. Among these papers, many of which deal with aspects of the history of the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, are a number which address environmental topics including various histories and accounts of construction of rivers, bridges, roads, high- ways, buildings, mills, sewage systems, and water supplies.
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Edward M. Rider papers, 1937-1998. 1.50 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Much of the material in this collection--including broadcast transcripts (radio), clippings, correspondence, press releases, programs, publication drafts, and speeches--relates to the Maryland Conservation Field Day event held in Frederick, Maryland on August 18, 1948. This internationally-recognized agricultural demonstration was designed to illustrate the benefits of soil conservation techniques such as contour farming and diversion terraces. Also included in the collection are relevant publications, such as USDA Soil Conservation magazines, Maryland Sate Soil Conservation Committee reports, and Maryland Land Week pamphlets.
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Sierra Club, Maryland Chapter archives, 1966-2004. 6.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, with members in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, monitors legislation, works to save natural areas from development, sponsors outings, and disseminates information on environmental maters. The chapter's records include minutes, newsletters, treasurer's reports, bylaws, and calendars of activities.
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Orman E. Street papers, 1928-ca.1981. 0.25 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
The Street Papers contain information on the Maryland environment, such as meteorological data that affected crop gorwth.
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Joseph D. Tydings papers, 1930-1986. 23.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Tydings, a former U.S. Senator from Maryland and member of the Maryland House of Delegates, was actively concerned with environmental issues during his years of public service.
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Polly Walker papers, 1972-1995. 6 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Polly Walker Wirth has been actively involved in Marylad environmental groups. In particular, these materials documents efforts to preserve Black Marsh and Oregon Ridge.
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William G. Wilson papers, 1972-2006. 57.50 linear feet.
Location: University of Maryland
Wilson, librarian and lecturer in the University of Maryland, College Park, College of Library and Information Services, has been active in numerous Maryland environmental organizations. His papers document his involvement and his varied environmental interests.
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Work Projects Administration in Maryland records, 1933-1943. 29.50 linear feet + 50 reels microfilm.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
This collection consists of administrative and project records of the Maryland WPA and several of its predecessor agencies. Among these materials is an extensive run of notes, newspaper clippings, and draft articles and essays used or produced by the Maryland Federal Writers' Project between 1935 and 1939. Among these subject files are ones on various topics relevant to the environment.
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Albert R. Wynn papers, 1983-2008. 37.50 linear feet.
Location: State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Albert Wynn represented Maryland's Fourth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2008. During his time in Congress, Wynn was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, serving on the Subcommittee on En
Maryland Manuscripts
The Maryland Manuscripts grouping consists of a wide variety of materials, such as letters, diaries, printed ephemera, and business ledgers, which have been described individually. Among these items are a number which relate to the environment, including meteorological journals, and notebooks of weather observations, reports of river commissioners, and correspondence. Subject headings in the card catalog under which these documents can be found include: parks, entomology, meteorology, weather, climate, rivers, and Fishing-Maryland.
Photographs
Among the departmental photographic holdings are images, dating primarily from 1920 to 1940, which depict park lands and facilities, sewer and drain construction, and various rural and mountain settings.