Nature and Land Biodiversity and Ecosystems Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth—is a critical component of any healthy ecosystem. The environment, society, and the economy depend on biodiversity and ecosystems to provide essential services, including suitable land to grow food, productive soils, clean water, and crop pollination. Management of Biodiversity and Ecosystems The MDTA is committed to sustainable development; environmental compliance; stewardship; continuous improvement in environmental performance; and effective interaction with its employees, other government agencies, and the community to protect biodiversity and sensitive ecosystems. Through policies that foster environmental protection and stewardship, the MDTA reinforces practices that are essential to its overall operations. Pollinator Habitat Projects and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a landmark US law enacted in 1973 to protect species at risk of extinction and conserve the ecosystems they depend on. It provides legal protection for listed species and promotes recovery efforts through habitat preservation and restoration. Monarch butterflies are not currently listed under the ESA but are under serious consideration due to population declines caused by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change. Pollinator beds support monarch populations by providing essential breeding habitat and nectar sources, helping to reverse declines and improve overall pollinator health and biodiversity.
The MDTA’s use of land is regulated under the 1992 Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Conservation Act (FCA), which aims to minimize the loss of forest land from development and ensure that priority areas for forest retention and forest planting are identified and protected prior to development. As a result, the MDTA is required to conduct reforestation or afforestation whenever trees are cleared. Facility Maintenance Best Practices and Management The MDTA implemented new goals in FY 2025 for maintaining stormwater and landscape areas along the ROW. The primary objective is promoting stewardship of green assets with effective operation and maintenance procedures. The MDTA’s Natural Resource group, which includes the Office of Engineering and Construction as well as consultants specializing in natural resource management, conducted training courses with each facility operations group to educate employees on proposed implementations. These proposals included a reduced need for mowing, incorporating more naturalized areas, simplifying maintenance needs, and eliminating buffer strips. The MDTA continues to maintain compliance with training requirements for permitting and is reinforcing and updating operations on current best practices. Employee trainings also address the use of herbicides and pesticides and identification of native and non-native species. These trainings help ensure MDTA employees who maintain outdoor areas protect naturalized and reforested locations. Invasive Species Control and Maintenance Invasive species are a major threat to ecosystems and economies. To combat them, the MDTA’s landscape managers use a variety of control methods. This includes mechanical methods like mowing; chemical methods, which involve herbicides; or biological methods, such as introducing natural predators. Additionally, prescribed burns or strategic replanting with native species are utilized to control the spread of invasive plants. The most effective strategies often combine multiple methods and controls and prioritize
preventing the spread of invasive species and the re-colonization of previously treated areas. Invasive species can be either native or non-native species; native species are those that evolve naturally in an ecosystem. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and fox grape (Vitis labrusca) are species native to Maryland that are considered invasive because of their ability to overtake ecosystems and imperil the safety and maintenance of our roadways.
flowers that provide food and nesting sites. The division designed, installed, and has been actively maintaining both installations throughout FY 2025 and FY 2026. The MDTA is surveying for additional potential pollinator habitat sites along MDTA right- of-way (ROW). Land Use and Natural Resources Development of any kind requires the use of land and natural resources. The MDTA uses land primarily in the construction and maintenance of roads and facilities. Management of Land Use and Natural Resources When undertaking projects, the MDTA’s first course of action is to avoid and minimize impacts to sensitive natural resources such as forests, wetlands, and streams to the maximum extent practicable while still achieving its transportation goals. The MDTA performs mitigation for unavoidable impacts within project limits or across the MDTA ROW wherever possible; however, some cases require off-site mitigation.
Spotted Lanternfly, Stock photo.
In FY 2025, MDTA collected invasive species data throughout the ROW. Using this data, several work orders and task orders were created to treat select areas, prioritizing highly invasive species and noxious weeds. This resulted in the chemical and mechanical treatment of multiple acres of invasive species along the entire MDTA ROW. Division staff conducted surveys for the invasive common reed (Phragmites australis) throughout the entire MDTA ROW and at all MDTA facilities. In FY 2025, surveys and treatments occurred at the Intercounty Connector, Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Fort McHenry Tunnel, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Nice/Middleton Bridge, John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, and Francis Scott Key Bridge facilities. Staff also surveyed for the noxious weed Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), and chemical treatment began in late FY 2025. Lansdowne Stream Restoration of a Patapsco River Tributary (HT-3012; Express Toll Lanes (ETL) 200) Division staff regularly conducted inspections and performed maintenance at the Lansdowne Stream Restoration site throughout FY 2025. Contractors treated invasive mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata)
Bee on lavender, Stock photo.
The MDTA installed two pollinator habitat beds at the Fort McHenry Tunnel (FMT) facility, totaling 0.2 acres, with native flowering plants to enhance habitat for bees, butterflies, and other threatened and at-risk pollinators. These beds provide these species with seasonal
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Governance, Risk, and Impact Report
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Governance, Risk, and Impact Report
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