Come Learn About Soldiers Delight and its Rare Plants!
The theme for the 2026 fall conference of the Maryland Native Plant Society, to be held Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park, is Diverse Landscapes of Maryland's Piedmont and Western Shore. To highlight Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Owings Mills' position as the single most biodiverse ecosystem in the state, one of the featured speakers will be Paula Becker, biologist in charge of conservation efforts at our beloved habitat.
On Saturday, September 12 at 9:00 a.m., Paula's talk, entitled Soldiers Delight's Serpentine Barrens: Restoration of a Globally Rare Ecosystem with Amazing Plants, will include fascinating and downright incredible facts about the flora that call the barrens home. Dr. R. Wayne Tyndall's book, All About Serpentine at Soldiers Delight, will be offered at a discount after the lecture. Don't miss it!
Additionally, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, MNPS will host a native plant sale on the College Park campus' Hornbake Plaza that is open to the public.
During the conference on Sunday, September 13, Paula will lead a field trip to Soldiers Delight titled: A short hike across 9000 years.
Registration for the conference will close September 3 to meet catering deadlines, so don't delay! For information and to register, click here. Hope to see you there!
Introducing a New Book All About Serpentine at Soldiers Delight
Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc. is excited to introduce a new book all about the serpentine barrens at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Owing Mills, Maryland. Read all about it here!
Soldiers Delight Conservation at National Night Out!
SDCI had a great evening at our tent on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, during the 2026 National Night Out event hosted by the Owings Mills New Town Community Association!
Bat Study at Soldiers Delight!
Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc. was thrilled to have researcher and university student Sadie Rozics give a presentation at our January board meeting on a study of bat populations at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, which she conducted over the summer of 2025.
Non-native Invasive Plants Finally to be Illegal to Sell in Maryland!
SDCI is excited to share the welcome news that many non-native, invasive plants widely used in landscaping and available at big box stores everywhere will soon become illegal to sell in the state of Maryland. So many of the invasive shrubs and trees slated to become illegal to sell are plants that routinely threaten our rare and endangered native flora at Soldiers Delight Environmental Area. Read all about the new law and what plants it includes here.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Baltimore County voters will decide whether to strengthen protection of the county’s rural areas in 2026, as the County Council has agreed to put on the November 2026 ballot a question of whether to make it more difficult to move the county’s Urban-Rural Demarcation Line, known as the URDL. Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc. believes it is important to vote in favor of this legislation, as it is of critical importance to protect the county’s water supply, farmland and natural spaces, including land surrounding the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Owings Mills.
Soldiers Delight Conservation Year-end Wrap-up
Here's a look at how 2025 went for Soldiers Delight Conservation, Inc.!
