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Posts Tagged ‘Somerset County’

   

New State Fishing Record Set for Sheepshead

Record fish caught in Tangier Sound, breaks record held for three years A Somerset County resident has officially been recognized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a new state fishing record in the Chesapeake Bay Division for sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus).  Brian Summerlin, of Princess Anne, caught the 16.6-pound fish September 17 in Tangier  Read the Rest…



Waterfowl Hunting Set at Deal Island and Fairmount Impoundments

Permit Applications for Somerset County Wildlife Management Areas Now Available  The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the annual schedule and process for waterfowl hunting at the Deal Island and Fairmount Wildlife Management Area impoundments. The current program is being managed to reduce crowding and maintain the quality of waterfowl hunting opportunities during  Read the Rest…



Manokin River Oyster Restoration Public Comment Accepted

Input on Potential Sites Taken Through March 9 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is soliciting feedback on potential sites to receive substrate and seed restoration of oyster habitat in the Manokin River Sanctuary in Somerset County. Information about the sites proposed, including a video presentation, is available now on the department’s website.  Public comment  Read the Rest…


Hunting Lottery Open for Chesapeake Forest Lands

Deadline for Hunt Clubs to Enter Lottery is Aug. 25 Hunt clubs interested in obtaining a hunting lease agreement on Chesapeake Forest Lands can now enter a lottery for individual, non-leased tracts in Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will accept online entries until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 25, 2020.




Waterfowl Hunting Permits Available for Deal Island, Fairmount Wildlife Management Areas

Applications Taken for Somerset County Impoundments Hunters can now submit applications for the annual permit-only waterfowl hunting days on Deal Island Wildlife Management Area and Fairmount Wildlife Management Area impoundments, located in Somerset County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Permits will be issued through a lottery drawing, with assignments based upon a hunter’s stated preference for  Read the Rest…




Somerset County Celebrating Arbor Day

Students to Join State, County Officials for Tree-Planting Somerset County government, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will hold its first Arbor Day celebration with a tree planting event on April 24. The event begins at 10 a.m. next to the Board of Education Building, 7982A Tawes Campus Drive, Westover. Local and  Read the Rest…



Secretary’s Message: October 2018

Positive Grades for Maryland’s Coastal Bays The Maryland Coastal Bays Program recently unveiled the 2017 Coastal Bays Report Card, a snapshot assessment on the health and resiliency of the coastal bays surrounding Ocean City and Assateague Island. The bays’ collective health received a “B-,” its highest grade ever reported! Nutrient reductions have shown a positive  Read the Rest…


Oyster Season Opens Oct. 1

Minimum Size for Harvested Oysters is 3 Inches The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the 2018-2019 public oyster harvest season will open Oct. 1 and run through March 31, 2019. Opening month is reserved for divers and watermen using patent and shaft tongs, as well as recreational oystering.  During the season, recreational oyster harvesting  Read the Rest…


Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants Announced

49 Fire Departments in 17 Counties Receive $104,099 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the 2018 Volunteer Fire Assistance grants to 49 volunteer fire departments. The projects, distributed throughout 17 counties, aim to assist volunteer fire companies and departments enhance wildland fire protection in rural areas and communities. The Maryland Forest Service awarded $104,099 in  Read the Rest…



Manokin River Selected for Large-Scale Oyster Restoration

Eastern Shore Tributary Provides Best Possibility for Success; State to Maximize Oyster Restoration in Anne Arundel County Tributaries The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced its intention to recommend the Manokin River in Somerset County as the fifth and final tributary for large-scale oyster restoration as per Maryland’s commitment to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed  Read the Rest…


Janes Island Hosts International Coastal Cleanup Day

Volunteers Sought for Beach Cleanup Sept. 15 The annual International Coastal Cleanup at Janes Island State Park begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 15. This event provides volunteers the opportunity to learn more about the Somerset County park, have a boat ride and earn community service hours while cleaning beaches and marshes.


$25 Million Approved for Rural Legacy Program

Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area Designated in Dorchester County; Five Other Areas Expanded The Board of Public Works today approved 16 Rural Legacy Program grants – totaling over $25 million – that will provide dedicated state funding to permanently protect working farms and forests in designated areas across the state. Working through local government and private  Read the Rest…


Eastern Shore Waterfowl Hunting Applications Now Being Accepted

Permits for Deal Island and Fairmount Wildlife Management Areas Hunters can now submit applications for the annual permit-only waterfowl hunting days at Deal Island Wildlife Management Area and Fairmount Wildlife Management Area impoundments in Somerset County.  Applications to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources must be received by Sept. 10. Permits will be issued through a lottery  Read the Rest…





Officials Mark Completion of Jetties on Historic Smith Island

Interagency Partners Celebrate Navigation Improvement Project at Rhodes Point The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, in coordination with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Somerset County; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Smith Island United, and other partners, marked the completion of two major milestones  Read the Rest…


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  Read the Rest…


Maryland Fishing Report: June 13

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  Read the Rest…


Maryland Fishing Report: June 6

Note: If you’re looking for the June 13 report, please click here. The northern snakehead has gotten a lot of press attention and has been called “Frankenfish.” It inspired a movie called “Snakehead Terror” about 8-foot long fish terrorizing a lakeside community, which helped create a common belief that snakeheads can walk on land. In  Read the Rest…


Maryland Waterway Improvement Fund Awards $12.5 Million

Projects Funded Statewide for Better Boating Access, Navigation and Safety The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is providing $12.5 million in Waterway Improvement Fund grants to enhance and improve public boating access, facilities and navigation throughout the state. This critical Fiscal Year 2019 funding will go toward 57 projects in 18 counties, from Garrett to Wicomico counties as well  Read the Rest…


Free Tree Seedlings Available for Lower Eastern Shore Landowners

Available to Riparian Homeowners in Somerset and Worcester The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree plantings to help improve water quality in targeted Lower Eastern Shore communities. Somerset and Worcester County landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free tree seedlings through the department’s Backyard  Read the Rest…



Governor Hogan Honors Employee for Customer Service

Somers Cove Marina Executive Director Tom Schisler Recognized at Board of Public Works Governor Larry Hogan recognized Maryland Department of Natural Resources employee Tom Schisler today with a Customer Service Heroes Award. Schisler, executive director of Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, was honored for enhancing customer service and improving facility maintenance at the state-managed marina.  Read the Rest…




Board of Public Works Approves $23 Million for 17 Rural Legacy Program Grants

Grants Permanently Protect 6,500 Acres Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the Board of Public Works, including Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, unanimously adopted a Maryland Department of Natural Resources recommendation approving 17 Rural Legacy Program grants – totaling over $23 million. Funding from these grants will permanently protect over 6,500 acres of working farms, forests and  Read the Rest…


Volunteer Fire Departments Awarded Grants to Fight Wildland Fires

Department Provides a Record $102,548 to 45 Departments in 17 Counties The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced today that a record number of volunteer fire departments applied for and received Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants in 2017, resulting in the most funding distributed in state history. “Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants allow us to support our first  Read the Rest…


Oyster Season Starts October 2

Opening Month Reserved for Divers and Tongers Maryland’s 2017-2018 public oyster harvest season kicks off Oct. 2 and runs through March 31, 2018. The opening month is reserved for divers and watermen using patent and shaft tongs, as well as recreational oystering. The recreational harvest of oysters in Maryland is open to any resident during the season. Each  Read the Rest…


New Grant Program Funds Nature-Based Solutions to Protect Coastal Communities

Four Demonstration Projects Proposed The Board of Public Works today approved funding for a new Coastal Resiliency Grant Program to help Maryland’s coastal communities enhance their resiliency to the effects of extreme storms and weather. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources program will help design four shoreline improvement demonstration projects across the state with an additional two  Read the Rest…



Deal Island Angler Catches Record Sheepshead

Dave Alveberg Reels in 13.73-pound Fish The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has confirmed a Deal Island resident has set a new state fishing record in the Chesapeake Division for sheepshead. Dave Alveberg caught the 13.73-pound record breaking fish Aug. 17, in roughly 4 feet of water off South Marsh Island near Tangier Sound.


Waterfowl Hunting Opportunities in Somerset County

Limited Number of Deal Island, Fairmount Wildlife Management Area Permits Issued by Lottery Hunters can now submit applications for the annual permit-only waterfowl hunting days on Deal Island and Fairmount wildlife management areas, located in Somerset County on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. Permits will be issued through a lottery drawing, with assignments based upon a  Read the Rest…


Board of Public Works Approves Expansion of Chesapeake Forest Lands

Program Open Space Acquisition Supports Economy, Environment and Recreation Chesapeake Forest Lands will increase by 1,664 acres following Board of Public Works approval today of a Maryland Department of Natural Resources conservation acquisition in Somerset County. The adjoining and contiguous parcel will be integrated into the Chesapeake Forest Lands sustainable forestry management plan and provide for  Read the Rest…


Army Corps of Engineers Accepting Comments on Environmental Assessment for Navigation Improvement Project on Smith Island

Public Comment on Project Accepted Until July 7 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District has opened a public comment period ending July 7 for an environmental assessment for a navigation improvement project at Rhodes Point in collaboration with Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Somerset County. The Corps’ Baltimore District proposes to realign  Read the Rest…


Three Communities Receive Funding to Mitigate Flooding

Department Program Assists Planning for Coastal Hazards The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will provide $125,000 total to three communities to reduce the impact of tidal flooding. These competitive Community Resiliency Grants will help local governments prepare for weather-related hazards, including flooding, sea level rise and storm events. CoastSmart Communities is a department program dedicated to  Read the Rest…


Department Awards $10.5 Million to Enhance Boating Access and Navigation

18 Maryland Counties Receive Waterway Improvement Fund Grants The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is providing $10.5 million in Waterway Improvement Fund grants to improve public boating access and navigation throughout the state. Passed by the Maryland General Assembly and signed by Governor Larry Hogan, this critical funding will go toward 49 projects in 18 counties from Allegany  Read the Rest…


Natural Resources Police Handle Fisheries and Wildlife Cases

Maryland Natural Resources Police officers made three fisheries cases, charged a deer poacher and cited a man for dumping and burning rubbish on state land in recent enforcement action. Three Somerset County men were charged Sunday with multiple counts of illegal harvesting from state waters and falsifying records to hide their activity.



200-Acre Historic Farm Conserved in Somerset County

Easement Protects Open Space and Waterfowl Habitat on the Lower Eastern Shore A new conservation easement of more than 200 acres will permanently protect important farmland and wildlife habitat in Oriole. Property owner Kevin Barr donated the tract to the Maryland Environmental Trust to safeguard its scenic open space and wetlands.


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