A Dorchester County man caught illegally harvesting oysters inside a state sanctuary November by Natural 1, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources helicopter, was found guilty and fined $1,000. Jody Daniel Jackson, 18, of East New Market pleaded guilty in Dorchester County District Court to a single count of harvesting oysters about 2.5 miles inside Read the Rest…
Combined Center includes Driving, Fishing, Hunting, Boating and Crabbing Licenses Residents of Annapolis and the surrounding area are now able to complete Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration and Maryland Department of Natural Resources transactions in one convenient location. As part of Governor Hogan’s Customer Service Promise to make services more accessible to Marylanders, Read the Rest…
Patience is supposed to be the hallmark of an angler, but many had theirs strained this past opening weekend for trophy striped bass season. Most understand it has been a chilly spring, and low water temperatures have delayed striped bass spawning in the tidal rivers. In the past couple of days we have seen water Read the Rest…
Activities Start at 10 a.m. on April 28 On Saturday, April 28, the public is invited to help clean up areas among the World War I-era shipwrecks moored in Mallows Bay and adjacent shorelines at Mallows Bay Park in Charles County. Local archaeologists, historians and naturalists will share information and interpret the history of Mallows Read the Rest…
Baywide Total Breaks 100,000 Acres The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports 2017 was the third consecutive record-breaking year for underwater grass abundance in Maryland’s portion of Chesapeake Bay. An annual baywide survey showed 62,356 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s tidal waters, a 5 percent increase from 2016. This is the fifth Read the Rest…
Partners to Provide Free Seedlings The Queen Anne’s County Forestry Board and Maryland Forest Service are having their annual tree seedling giveaway program April 24-27. Free tree seedlings are available to county residents as an educational effort promoting tree-planting, just in time for National Arbor Day.
Maryland Natural Resources Police honored dozens of officers, civilian staff, first responders from other agencies and members of the public Saturday at its annual awards ceremony. Officer First Class Antonio Colvin received the Medal of Valor, the agency’s highest award, for rescuing an injured duck hunter whose kayak capsized in the ice-choked water of the Read the Rest…
Partners to Name Poster Contest Winners, Provide Free Seedlings The Kent County Forestry Board will announce the county’s 2018 Arbor Day Poster Contest winners and celebrate Chestertown’s 37th anniversary as a Tree City USA participant on April 24 at 1:15 p.m. in the Kent County Courthouse Courtyard on Cross Street. In case of inclement weather the Read the Rest…
Reporting Helps Manage State’s Fishing Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is launching new mobile-friendly volunteer angler surveys, making it easy to turn a fishing trip into scientific research by submitting catch data right from a phone. The survey is a simple tool where volunteers provide valuable information to department biologists such as species caught, Read the Rest…
Calvert County Children Partner with Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative Students at one Calvert County school are getting their hands dirty by helping with habitat enhancement and oyster restoration. Fifty students, along with a dozen parents and faculty at Tidewater School in Huntingtown are assisting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative by creating several Read the Rest…
Stewardship Opportunities Abound April 22 Earth Day gives people all over the planet a chance to do some good for our environment and society, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites everyone to help out Sunday, April 22. The Maryland Park Service is hosting several events in every region of the state.
Seven men in Washington and Frederick counties were charged this week at the start of spring wild turkey season with illegal hunting with the use of bait. Maryland Natural Resources Police officers fanned out before the season opened to locate illegal bait – mostly corn – left near hunting blinds. They returned before dawn Wednesday Read the Rest…
Connecting People, Innovation and Opportunity May 21-23 in Cambridge The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science will bring together more than 200 local officials, business and industry leaders, resource stakeholders and users, scientists, and federal and state agency experts for Maryland’s first State of the Coast conference. The Read the Rest…
This coming Saturday, April 21, is a big day for those who dream of catching a trophy striped bass. More than a few anglers will spend the night before checking alarm clocks just to find themselves waking up a half-hour before the alarm is set to go off anyhow. Weather is predicted to be a Read the Rest…
Program Open Space Acquisition Benefits Environment and Outdoor Recreation The Board of Public Works today unanimously voted to approve the Maryland Department of Natural Resources acquisition of 224.5 acres in Worcester County as an addition to Pocomoke State Forest. The site provides both exceptional ecological benefits as well as recreational opportunities, especially for hikers — with trails linking Pocomoke River State Read the Rest…
State awards nearly $2 million to support community clean-up and beautification First Lady Yumi Hogan highlighted first-year accomplishments and launched a new transit advertising campaign for the Keep Maryland Beautiful program in a ceremony held at the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Back Creek Nature Park Campus. Officials also announced awards of nearly $2 million to support Read the Rest…
Cold nights and chilly days have prevailed far too long in the past couple of weeks, but change is on the way, with air temperatures of 80 degrees promised for the weekend. We are a little more than a week away from the opening day of the trophy striped bass season and it would be Read the Rest…
Feature Shows Updated Health-Based Meal Advisories for Fish Caught by Maryland Anglers The Maryland Department of the Environment today announced the development of an interactive map that provides modernized, user-friendly information on fish consumption advisories. It is one of the only “clickable” maps for fish consumption advisories in the nation. A consumption advisory is a Read the Rest…
Conservation-Minded Changes a Win-Win for Species and Sport The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has submitted revised regulations that aim to reduce the minimum size requirement of striped bass for recreational anglers and charter boats during the summer and fall fishing seasons in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries from 20 to 19 inches. The Read the Rest…
Applications Must Be Submitted by May 31 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting offshore waterfowl blind and shoreline license applications for riparian, or waterfront, property owners. Such landowners, or anyone who has the owner’s permission, may license their shoreline to establish offshore stationary blinds or blind sites for hunting waterfowl. A license Read the Rest…
Help the Park Stay Clean and Green, Then Help Yourself to Fun and Adventure Earth Day is a time when the world comes together to better our environment, just as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources works to enhance, protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and great outdoors. Citizens can pitch in this year by Read the Rest…
Annual Event Open to Children Aged 3-15 St. Mary’s River State Park hosts its ninth annual Youth Fishing Rodeo 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 12. All children, aged 3-15, are eligible to participate in this free event. The event will include a casting competition as well as educational and informational demonstrations with live animals. Prizes will be Read the Rest…
Marylanders Urged to Take Precautions; Maryland Forest Service Prepared Wildfire season has begun in the Old Line State, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources urges residents throughout the state to take precautions. Each year, the Maryland Forest Service responds to an average of 210 wildfires that burn about 2,325 acres. Wildfires occur every month in Maryland, but peak Read the Rest…
Marylanders Urged to Keep Bears Wild Now is the time when black bears are emerging from their dens, after a long winter slumber, in a search for food and sustenance. However due to the fact that natural food sources, such as berries, insects and plants are still in short supply in early spring, bears may become more Read the Rest…
It continues to be a chilly spring and there seems to be no immediate end to it. We’re a week into April and water temperatures are considerably lower than usual — in the mid-40s in the tidal rivers and bay. By comparison, last April 5, the bay was just about 50 degrees and the tidal Read the Rest…
An investigation into illegal shooting on private property has resulted in the arrest of a Glen Burnie man on 13 criminal charges and the seizure of four guns from his property. Kevin Patrick Chetelat, 55, will appear in Anne Arundel County District Court in Annapolis March 24 for a preliminary hearing on the charges, which Read the Rest…
Celebration Branches into State’s Highest Offices Today is Maryland Arbor Day, celebrated the first Wednesday of April every year. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is highlighting the importance of trees by delivering seedlings to Maryland’s elected officials and leaders, and honoring the achievements of individuals who have contributed to the state’s tree farming industry. Following an Read the Rest…
Junior Hunt Set for April 14; Regular Season Starts April 18 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites hunters to join the statewide spring turkey season kicking off in April. Young hunters can take aim April 14 for the Junior Turkey Hunt. All hunters can try to bag a bird during regular spring turkey season, April 18-May Read the Rest…
Riparian Homeowners Can Help Improve Water Quality The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to help improve water quality in Cecil County. County landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free trees through the department’s Backyard Buffers program.
Riparian Homeowners Can Help Improve Water Quality The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to help improve water quality in Harford County. County landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free trees through the department’s Backyard Buffers program.
Volunteers Sought for Two Sites in St. Mary’s County The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites volunteers to get outside to help clean up along the Potomac River in St. Mary’s County, from 9 a.m. to noon April 14. Crews will meet at two different locations: Newtowne Neck State Park and Point Lookout State Park. Volunteers should wear closed-toed Read the Rest…
Shoppe until Ye Drop April 26-29 History fans will delight in visiting the 18th century Market Fair at Fort Frederick State Park. The annual event features entertainment, food and merchants from the colonial time period adjacent to the park’s historic stone fort built during the French and Indian War in 1756. The fair runs April Read the Rest…
Time to Catch up with Maryland’s State Fish The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces the 2018 Spring Trophy Striped Bass season begins at 5 a.m. April 21 in Maryland’s portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. The fishing season will continue through midnight May 15, with a catch limit of one fish Read the Rest…
Every Tree Makes a Difference Arbor Day is celebrated nationally and by every state in the nation. The actual date varies by region and has been designated by each state according to the best time to plant trees. National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, which this year will be April Read the Rest…