Natural Resources News
Calvert County Water Trail Guide Now Available
Partners Promote Public Water Access in Southern Maryland
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Calvert County Parks and Recreation have produced a new water trails map and guide for county waterways and public water access sites.
“The development of these paddling routes expands the statewide network of water trails to almost 800 miles, and adds to the number and variety of water trail guides for Southern Maryland,” Maryland Natural Resources Program Director Lisa Gutierrez said. “The new map will assist boaters, canoers, kayakers and paddlers in Calvert County and beyond.” Read more…
Climate Resilience Grants Awarded to 14 Maryland Communities
$700,000 Provided to Address Climate Change, Flooding, Sea Level Rise
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced $700,000 in Climate Resilience Grants to help communities prepare for and recover from climate-related impacts. The competitive grants are designed to help strengthen a community’s ability to assess risk through planning and construct solutions to boost their capacity to withstand flooding and other weather-related events.
“We have already witnessed the devastating effects that severe rain and storms can cause in our communities,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “This program aims to help our local partners become better prepared and more resilient so they are able to recover from and respond to climate-related challenges, risks and threats, be it flooding or sea level rise.”
Maryland communities awarded grant funding this year include:
Army Corps, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Release Draft Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Plan for Input
2,592 candidate projects identified in Maryland
Chesapeake Bay Sunrise by Yvonne Navalaney
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore and Norfolk districts, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), released June 14 the draft Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Water Resources and Restoration Plan and Restoration Roadmap that identifies 2,592 candidate aquatic ecosystem restoration, enhancement and conservation projects for implementation in Maryland.
Candidate projects may include wetland or stream restoration, beneficial use of dredged material, fish passage, living shorelines, shoreline protection, emergency streambank protection, riparian buffers, acid mine drainage abatement, and ecosystem resilience. Opportunities may exist on public, private or government property. Opportunities for Corps technical assistance may include analyses, modeling, data collection or mapping related to coastal, riverine, stormwater flooding or other water-related issues.
Comments and input on additional candidate projects will be accepted until July 16, 2018. Read more…
Maryland Natural Resources Police Officers Cite Two Impaired Boaters
A Delaware man was charged this week with multiple offenses stemming from an incident at a Chestertown marina and restaurant.
Joshua Lorenz Richardson, 30, of Newark, received citations for operating a vessel while impaired, negligent operation and failing to obtain an annual certificate of number after Maryland Natural Resources Police officers stopped him near Fairlee Creek after a confrontation with the staff of the Great Oak Marina and Restaurant.
Richardson and two companions became belligerent when they were denied drinks at the bar and were escorted out by security guards. They boarded a 21-foot sailboat and headed out of the creek.
Firefighters Complete Wildfire Training Program
Department Co-Sponsors Annual Skills Program
Nearly three dozen Maryland Forest Service firefighters have received certification through the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Wildfire Training Academy, held recently in Garrett County.
More than 180 students participated in the academy, which was hosted at Garrett College by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources along with Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact and the U.S. Forest Service.
Seven states make up the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Compact: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
Coastal Residents and Visitors Urged to Report Stranded Marine Life
Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles Protected by Law
Maryland’s tidal waters are visited by a variety of aquatic wildlife. Unfortunately, some of these animals find themselves stranded along the state’s shoreline, particularly between May and October.
Since 1990, Maryland’s Stranding Response Program has documented strandings of 25 species of marine mammals and four species of sea turtles. On average, 40 to 70 protected marine animals are found each year in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as well as the Atlantic coast.
Anyone who comes along a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle should call the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at 800-628-9944.The Maryland Department of Natural Resources works in collaboration with the National Park Service and other federal, state and local agencies to respond to stranded marine mammals and sea turtles.
Maryland Fishing Report: June 13
Photo by David Jackson
Many of us who have spent a lifetime fishing remember the first fish we ever caught. For some, that memory might include a tough and pugnacious little rascal called the bluegill sunfish. It has a habit of attacking most any bait with total abandon and have the fighting strength of a bull – making it a perfect target for our youngest fishermen. A simple bobber-and-worm rig cast into a local pond is just the right recipe for impatient youth.
Maryland state fish hatcheries do a little genetic engineering to create a hybrid bluegill by crossing it with a green sunfish, sort of the Jack Russel terrier of the sunfish world –making an even feistier adversary for the bobber-and-worm crowd. Our department has a program that stocks these hybrid bluegill sunfish in ponds for youth fishing events.
If you want to enjoy a fun day with young aspiring anglers, check out our fishing rodeo schedule.
Angler Catches Record Warmouth in Charles County
Dezi Collins Hauls in 10.72-ounce Fish
A 24-year-old St. Mary’s County man is now the official state record holder for the warmouth in Maryland’s nontidal waters. Avid angler Dezi Collins of Mechanicsville reeled in his record 10.72 ounce catch June 11 at Gilbert Run Lake in Charles County.
Collins, along with a few friends, were fishing for black bass when something unusual hit his 5-inch Senko plastic worm. “This thing really had some weight,” he said.
Biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources verified the species and its weight was certified by Thompson’s Seafood. The catch beats the previous 9.76-ounce record held since 2009 by Don Perantoni.
Cecil County Angler Sets New Mark for White Catfish
Brian Dvorak reels in 9.61-pound fish
A North East man broke the Chesapeake Division state record for white catfish in the early morning hours of June 3. Brian Dvorak, an avid night angler, caught the fish off Turkey Point near the mouth of the Elk River.
“Night fishing is what I do,” Dvorak said. On that evening he brought in a few channel catfish and an American eel, but his last catch of the morning was “something different.”
A Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist confirmed the species and the fish was weighed on a certified scale at local grocer. Coming in at 9.61 pounds, Dvorak’s catch beat the previous record of 8.27 pounds, set in 2017, by 1.34 pounds. Read more…
Hunting and Trapping Seasons Proposed
Public Comments Accepted Until July 9
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting public comment on proposed hunting and trapping seasons for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
The proposed regulations were published in the Maryland Register June 8, and would establish hunting season dates and bag limits for deer, bear, wild turkey, and small game species such as squirrels and rabbits. The prospective rules also outline hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for furbearers such as beaver, muskrat, fox and raccoon.