The Middle Patuxent Environmental Foundation (MPEF) was created through an irrevocable trust by The Howard Research And Development Corporation (HRD) in April 1996.  HRD contributed $1,760,000 to the Trust.  Trust funds must be administered and distributed solely for the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area (MPEA) as a “forever protected” natural environmental area for the benefit of the residents of Howard County.  The MPEF is a 501(c)(3) entity under the Internal Revenue Code.

The Mission of the Middle Patuxent Environmental Foundation is to preserve and protect, in perpetuity, the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area for the conservation and restoration of native plant and animal communities and to serve as a valuable natural area for environmental education.

The MPEF is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.  The Trust allows for the Board to consist of up to 11 trustees.  The Board includes three or four residents of Howard County representing the educational and/or scientific community, with expertise in one or more areas of study, including but not limited to biology, botany, ecology, environmental science, forestry, ornithology, and naturalization.  In addition, the Board includes one to two people with a financial background, and two or three other interested citizens, all of whom are residents of Howard County.  The Columbia Association and HRD are each provided one representative on the Board.