Size: 232 acres

Habitat: Fields, hedgerows, small woodlands, streams, two small natural wetlands and one small, artificial wetland. The yard around the historic farmhouse has mature trees of a variety of species.

Best Months: February (American Tree Sparrows), April–May, September–November.

Coverage Time: 2–3 hours.

Amenities: Restrooms in Gudelsky Environmental Education Center, generally only available during public hours. Gift shop. Public programs.

Handicapped Access: Gravel parking lot. Paths are not suitable for wheelchairs—all are mown grass with some inclines. The Gudelsky Environmental Education Center is handicapped accessible.

Operation and Hours: Trails open dawn to dusk seven days a week without fee. Nature center hours: Wednesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., closed Saturdays during winter. Fees for some programs and special events. For additional information: phone 410-465-8877, web page for The Howard County Conservancy, or email info@howardnature.org

Special Attractions: Chandler S. Robbins Skywatch; Butterfly Garden; Heirloom Orchard; John L. Clark Arboretum and Honors Garden; reconstructed Montjoy Barn (c. 1798, the sole surviving English-style wheat barn in Maryland). The original HodgePodge Lodge, the set of a nature-oriented Maryland Pubic Television program which ended in the 1970s, sits along one of the east trails. The Gudelsky Environmental Center windows have  been retrofitted with a treatment that not only prevents bird strikes on the building but also will serve as a demonstration project for the people visiting the center.

Deer Hunts: Controlled deer hunts take place in the fall and winter. As this is by special permit, hunt days may be before, during, or after the public deer season in other areas. Hunts are not held on days of scheduled events. On hunt days, cones and signs are placed in the driveway entrance to indicate that the trails are temporarily closed.

The mission of the Howard County Conservancy is to educate children and adults about our natural world, preserve the land and its legacy for future generations and model responsible stewardship of our environment.

Received by the Conservancy in 1993 by Ruth and Frances Brown, Mt. Pleasant is a 325-year-old farm now operated as a nature reserve and educational facility. The Gudelsky Environmental Education Center, on-site at Mt. Pleasant, is Howard County’s first nature center, opening in 2005. The Conservancy, originally founded in 1990 as a private, nonprofit land trust, today has a dual mission of preserving land in Howard County and providing educational programs.

Dedicated to educating youth and adults about environmental stewardship and ecosystems, the Conservancy focuses its programs on local animal and plant life found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Conservancy has been educating Howard County youth since 1997, and has been an Educational Partner with the Howard County Public School System since 2003.

Located on 232 acres of rolling hills, with a variety of habitats, Mt. Pleasant is ideally suited for nature study and exploration. Mt. Pleasant is home to more than 140 species of birds and other wildlife, and offers beautiful vistas of the Patapsco Valley – all just 15 minutes from Columbia.

Mt. Pleasant Farm’s historic buildings include the farmhouse which encompasses the original log cabin, a carriage house, blacksmith shop, bank barn, wagon shed, corn crib, smokehouse, and two hen houses. Mature hardwoods, historic gardens and trees, and an heirloom orchard surround the farmhouse and outbuildings.

The Conservancy maintains a number of active partnerships with a variety of organizations for its education programs, public events, land conservation, and Mt. Pleasant restoration. These include a Howard County Public School System Educational Partnership, and partnerships with Howard County Master Gardeners, Howard County Recreation & Parks Department, the Howard County Bird Club, Howard County Beekeepers, the Howard County Blacksmith Guild and others.

Trails/Paths: Four miles of mowed-grass paths.