Most everyone has some observations they consider harbingers of spring. It could be as simple as crocus or daffodils popping up in the yard, geese flying north or even the sound of spring peepers in a nontidal wetland, singing the evening away. For many anglers spring means fishing for yellow perch and white perch as Read the Rest…
Project’s Goal to Raise and Release Bivalves into Wild The presence of freshwater mussels indicates a healthy stream, with the bivalves acting as natural filters – removing excess nutrients and sediment from the water and then slowly releasing food for other aquatic life. However, the once-plentiful mussels have been on a decline in Maryland streams Read the Rest…
Annapolis Marina Met Department’s Voluntary Guidelines Orchard Beach Marina in Annapolis recently passed inspection by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to become the latest Maryland Clean Marina, marking the 152nd marina to meet the state’s criteria. Fourty-eight of the estimated 165 marinas in Anne Arundel County are certified as clean marinas.
Interagency Project Protects Bay, Improves Park Three bioretention facilities have been completed at Rosaryville State Park in Prince George’s County, following a partnership between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration aimed at reducing the amount of nutrients and sediment entering the Chesapeake Bay. The project is the first Read the Rest…
Opportunity to Get Directly Involved in Conservation The Maryland Environmental Trust is offering a one-day volunteer training session for individuals interested in helping to monitor conservation easement properties. The training session will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 3 at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, 600 Discovery Lane, Grasonville. The Maryland Environmental Trust, a unit Read the Rest…
Riparian Homeowners Can Help Improve Water Quality The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree plantings to help improve water quality in targeted Allegany County communities. 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 Buffers program.
First Lady Yumi Hogan Participates as Special Judge; Top Entries’ Schools Receive Free Tree Plantings Fifth-grade students who submitted Arbor Day posters to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources had their work judged today by a panel of forestry experts and a special guest judge, Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan, who is an accomplished artist Read the Rest…
Public Comment Accepted Through March 14 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comment on the proposed 2018-2019 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons. The public comment period will close at noon March 14. The seasons will be finalized in early spring after the department reviews public input and obtains approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Board of Public Works Approves Program Open Space Acquisition The Board of Public Works today unanimously approved a Maryland Department of Natural Resources acquisition of 522 acres in Charles County for the development of a new Wildlife Management Area that will provide both conservation and recreation benefits. Adjacent to county managed land, the site will provide numerous Read the Rest…
Samples Found Within Existing Management Area The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has received laboratory confirmation that 10 white-tailed deer sampled in Allegany and Washington counties tested positive for chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease found in deer and elk. All of the positive samples came from within the existing Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area.
Riparian Homeowners Can Help Improve Water Quality The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree plantings to help improve water quality in targeted Garrett County communities. 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 Buffers program.
Two Florida men were convicted Wednesday of multiple counts of illegal deer hunting and were ordered to pay $6,000 in fines and restitution by a Cecil County District Court judge. Lawrence Eugene Tatum II, 34, of Port Saint Lucie, received $2,000 in fines for four natural resources violations and a suspended $500 fine for trespassing. Read the Rest…
Frederick County Led Statewide Totals The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced today that hunters harvested 86,542 deer during the combined archery, firearms and muzzleloader seasons, from Sept. 8, 2017, through Jan. 31, 2018. The harvest exceeded the 2016-2017 total by more than 1,000 deer. Included in the statewide total were 7,204 deer taken on Read the Rest…
Riparian Homeowners Can Reserve by April 13 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Talbot County Forestry Board, is offering free tree plantings to help improve water quality in targeted communities. County landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free Read the Rest…
Comments Accepted until March 13 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comment on proposed changes to the 2018-2020 hunting and trapping seasons. The department evaluates possible changes every two years. Over the past several months, the department has presented proposed management concepts to a variety of external and internal partners and stakeholders, Read the Rest…
A Cumberland man was charged Wednesday by Maryland Natural Resources Police with 14 hunting violations and faces additional charges in Pennsylvania after a joint investigation by wildlife officers from both states. Christopher Alan Porter, 37, is due in Allegany County District Court May 8. If found guilty of all charges, he could be fined $5,500. Read the Rest…
Work2Live WELL Now Recruiting Applicants in Baltimore City and Cambridge The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, today launched a new workforce development, skills and training program, Work2Live WELL, designed to provide entry into the emerging careers fields of the environment and natural resources. With Read the Rest…
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…
Maryland Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Shows Increase from 2017 Each winter, aerial survey teams of biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service make visual estimates of ducks, geese and swans along the state’s coast and shoreline. This year, teams counted about 1,023,300 waterfowl, well above the 812,600 birds observed Read the Rest…
Farm Links Protected Areas to Create a 7,730-acre Corridor of Conserved Lands A partnership between the U.S. Navy, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Chesapeake Conservancy has led to the permanent protection of 230 acres on a family-owned farm in Dorchester County. Spread over three parcels, the farm Read the Rest…
Citizens and Visitors Encouraged to Provide Feedback The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites residents and nonresidents to share their thoughts on land acquisition, conservation and recreation in the state by completing the Maryland Land Preservation and Recreation Plan Survey. Individuals who complete the 3-5 minute online survey will be entered into a random drawing Read the Rest…
Board of Public Works Approves Two Department Items The Board of Public Works unanimously approved two Maryland Department of Natural Resources items today that will permanently protect 195 acres in Washington County through the department’s Rural Legacy and Conservation Reserve Enhancement permanent easement programs. The two easements will complete the protection of the entire Pleasant Read the Rest…
Young Anglers Can Attend Free Events in 11 Different Counties Even as winter gripped the region, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has been making plans for the state’s young anglers when spring and summer finally arrive. This year, 38 different organizations in 11 counties across the state are hosting youth fishing rodeos, providing fun Read the Rest…
An Eastern Shore waterfowl hunter is in stable condition today at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after he was knocked unconscious by a dead goose falling from the sky. Robert Meilhammer, 51, of Crapo, was hunting with others shortly before 5 p.m. in the 25000 block of Voit Road in Easton, near the Miles Read the Rest…
Now that nesting season is over, it’s time to take care of your nest boxes. This is a great time of year to inspect any nest structures that you have and replace any potentially rotted material.
In winter, the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. Animals deal with these changes in different ways. Some animals—like Baltimore orioles—migrate, or travel to other locations. Others—like little brown bats—hibernate, or go through a deep sleep. Others still—like gray squirrels—adapt to the cold by changing their daily activity patterns and layering on fat Read the Rest…
Have you ever noticed an almost straight line of holes gracing the trees in your yard or neighborhood? Most people generally identify these holes as belonging to a woodpecker, but only one species in our region feeds in a horizontal line: the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius).
Chance for Young Hunters to Hone Skills with Adult Mentor The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering a Youth Waterfowl Hunt Day statewide Feb. 10. Hunters 16 years of age or younger may hunt coots, ducks, geese and mergansers on both private and public land this day when aided by an unarmed adult, at Read the Rest…
Bringing Everyone on Board for Stewardship As we commemorate Black History Month and celebrate the many contributions of African Americans like Benjamin Banneker, Clarence Mitchell Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Josiah Henson, Matthew Henson and Thurgood Marshall, it is a time to reflect on Maryland’s past as well as the Free State’s future.
