Maryland Park Service previews Newtown Neck master plan emphasizing conservation and phased visitor facilities

Mary Owens, chief of planning for the Maryland Park Service, told the Saint Mary’s County Planning Commission on Dec. 14 that the department is near finalizing a master plan for Newtown Neck State Park intended to protect natural and cultural resources while allowing modest public access and interpretation.

Owens said the property, west of Route 5 and accessed from the end of Route 243, includes about seven miles of shoreline and a mix of meadow, agricultural fields, forest and marsh. “It is an absolutely gorgeous property,” Owens said, and the department expects the park to be a regional attraction with connections to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail, the Star-Spangled Banner Trail and the Religious Freedom Byway.

The draft plan, Owens said, was developed after an extensive public process that included an 11‑member citizens advisory committee that met 11 times, two community open houses and online surveys. The Maryland Park Service acquired the property through the department’s 2009 Maryland Province properties effort, Owens said, and reopened the park in February 2014 after Army Corps of Engineers work to investigate and clear inert munitions casings found on the site.

Why the plan matters: Newtown Neck combines sensitive natural systems and archaeological…