Wye Island NRMA is located in the tidal recesses of the Chesapeake Bay between the Wye River and the Wye East River. Of Wye Island's 2,800 acres, 2,450 are managed by the Department of Natural Resources State Forest and Park Service for agricultural and resource management. A major emphasis at Wye Island is to provide suitable habitat for wintering waterfowl populations and other native wildlife. With over 30 miles of shoreline another resource management project is stabilization of the ever eroding shoreline. These stabilization efforts are accomplished through a partnership between DNR and numerous environmental advocacy groups, such as the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the USDA-RC&D Council. Service learning opportunities abound at Wye Island.

For over 300 years, Wye Island was privately owned and managed for agricultural use, including tobacco and wheat farming. Two of the most noteworthy owners were William Paca and Charles Beale Bordley. Mr. Paca, third governor of Maryland and one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, owned half of the island north of Dividing Creek. Mr. Bordley was a distinguished lawyer and jurist who owned half of the island south of Dividing Creek. In the 1770's Mr. Bordley gave up his law career to devote his life to farming and make Wye Island totally self-sufficient. Under Mr. Bordley's control, the island prospered with its own vineyards, orchards, textile production, brick yard, and even its own brewery.

Eventually the island was sold off into at least 13 separate farms. Probably the most talked about owners were Glenn and Jacqueline Stewart who eventually owned eight farms and turned Wye Island into a cattle ranch. The Stewart's built the hunting lodge (Duck House), which remains today, on Granary Creek. With the eventual threat of residential development, the State of Maryland purchased the island in the mid 1970's to ensure its preservation.