ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Parts of Maryland’s state parks have such rich and fragile ecosystems, state administrators say they’d never disturb them by paving roads or setting up picnic tables — let alone selling the rights for mining. But they want a state law to set that practice in stone.

Along with Gov. Martin O’Malley, they want to extend the strict protection of Maryland’s Wildlands Preservation System to another 21,890 acres of state-owned land. Presently the state has 43,773 acres of wildlands.

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