White Marsh Park includes athletic facilities and natural areas, with its southern end planted in native grasses and wildflowers that provide critical habitat for declining grassland-dependent wildlife. With only about 1% of grasslands remaining across North America, large meadows can make a major difference for grassland wildlife. Native grasslands and fire-maintained woodland savannas have long been part of Maryland’s landscape; in 1664, Captain John Smith wrote that a man could gallop a horse among these woods and move through them because of the abundance of fires, and he described Native Americans using fire in hunting deer. These frequent fires allowed native grassland and early successional habitats to thrive throughout the region. Grasslands also filter and trap excess nutrients and sediments, help keep waterways clean, stabilize soil and prevent erosion, promote soil health, support biodiversity and watersheds, store large amounts of carbon in deep root systems, and provide aesthetic beauty and recreational opportunities for nature enthusiasts.