Backyard Basecamp: BLISS Meadows in Baltimore, MD

(Re)connecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to land and nature in Baltimore City.

The BLISS Meadows project is a 10 acre land-reclamation project at the intersection of environmental and food justice. The entire project weaves together 3 contiguous properties through public and private partnerships with land owners.

1. A 7 acre abandoned park

2. A 2.5 acre parcel with 2 ponds

3. A long-vacant home on 0.5 acres

In 2017, our Founder and Executive Director, Atiya Wells, came across the vacant property in her Frankford neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore. She envisioned a space for community dinners, environmental education, nature play spaces, and gardens.

In 2019, that dream became a reality when she received the blessing from the property’s owner. Noticing the vacant house adjacent to the property, she launched a fundraising campaign to purchase it, and met the goal in less than 30 days.