A new wildlife refuge in Southern Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s first national wildlife refuge in more than 25 years and the first in Maryland in over 60 years.Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams on Friday announced the establishment of The Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge.Located on a 31-acre parcel near Nanjemoy in Charles County, Maryland, the refuge will provide protected habitat for threatened and endangered species. It will also offer opportunities for outdoor recreation to the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan region’s 10 million residents, employees, and visitors.Haaland called the establishment of the refuge “an incredible milestone in locally led conservation efforts.”“Across the nation, the Biden-Harris administration has partnered with local communities, partners and Tribes to protect treasured places, bolster climate resilience, and ensure current and future generations have public lands and waters to enjoy and recreate,” Haaland said in a statement. “Our collective work will ensure the health and enduring legacy of the National Wildlife Refuge System.”Williams praised the collaboration among partners “to conserve and restore important landscapes.”“Thanks to these relationships, the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge will help support the region’s outdoor economy, protect and restore threatened and endangered species, and sustain recreational opportunities for generations to come,” Williams said in a statement.Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay region are threatened by deforestation, overdevelopment, and other factors, said Joel Dunn, president and CEO of Chesapeake Conservancy, one of the partners that contributed to the creation of the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge.“This is one of the most pristine landscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s western shore, and it faces many threats. Our forests continue to be converted at a rate of about 54 acres a day, and more than 6 million acres of the forest and wetland resources in our watershed remain vulnerable to development. We are losing our iconic landscapes.Dunn said the average size of monitored wildlife populations around the world has dropped by 73% in his lifetime. He said actions now can help stop some of the damage that is occurring.“The world’s leading scientists have called for the protection of 30% of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030 to protect biodiversity and the climate. And there is no more important moment to do it than this one,” he said.Wildlife refuges like the one in Charles County will be key to conservation efforts, Dunn said.“This new refuge offers an opportunity to halt and even reverse biodiversity loss in this important place, and in a way that fully integrates and respects the leadership and rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities,” he said.The refuge is the 573rd unit in the National Wildlife Refuge System and the sixth established under the Biden-Harris administration.