Award-Winning Program Graduates 28 Young Men and Women The Maryland Department of Natural Resources honored 28 members of the 2018-2019 Maryland Conservation Corps during their graduation program July 31 at Wye Island Natural Resource Management Area in Queen Anne’s County. The ceremony commemorated the students’ completion of 10 months of job training, conservation work, and Read the Rest…
Maryland offers a wide variety of exciting fishing opportunities to those who fish her waters. We are pleasantly reminded of the amazing resources that are available to us when an extraordinary specimen is recognized as a state record. These listings keep a permanent record and help promote those resources.
Patapsco River Surges Back to Life One of the most important dam removal projects in the Mid-Atlantic is officially complete. Project partners announced today that the Bloede Dam removal and river restoration is finished and a significant portion of the Patapsco River now flows freely through Patapsco Valley State Park. After 18 months, often spent Read the Rest…
Catch Tops Maryland Record Held Since 1985 Jeff Wright of Cambridge has broken a 34-year-old Maryland state fishing record in the Atlantic Division for a common dolphinfish, or mahi mahi. Wright caught the 72.8-pound fish July 28 off the coast of Ocean City.
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…
Annual Young Women’s Camp Helps Protect Native Species New Germany State Park has a few less “botanical bullies” thanks to an ambitious group of young women from the Washington, D.C. Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During their annual camp in June, the group teamed up with park staff and the Read the Rest…
Anne Arundel County Seeking Federal Approval for Designation The public is invited to a series of information sessions about a proposed No Discharge Zone for Anne Arundel County. Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff and local partners will be on hand to explain the process for this designation. A No Discharge Zone (NDZ) is an Read the Rest…
Youth Claims Species’ First Entry The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially recognized 14-year-old Scott Hartzell Jr. of Easton as the first official state record holder for a Florida pompano. Hartzell caught the 3.375-pound fish on Stone Rock near Tilghman Island.
Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants Total $59,750 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces the award of two Land and Water Conservation Fund grants totaling $59,750 to two local recreation projects in Allegany County. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a federally funded program that provides up to 50 percent matching grants to Read the Rest…
Living History Events August 3-4 Fort Frederick State Park invites visitors to view life through the eyes of America’s soldiers from the founding of Maryland through the 20th century. The military history of Fort Frederick spans the 18th and 19th centuries. Building upon that legacy, this program will provide visitors with an up-close and personal Read the Rest…
Maryland offers a wide variety of fishing adventures right now, from the western mountains to the deep ocean waters of the Atlantic.
2018 Saw Slight Decline, But Less Severe Than Expected The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that Chesapeake Bay underwater grass abundance fared better than expected in 2018, despite extreme rainfall causing a spike in nutrients and sediments. An estimated 50,015 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Baywide, Read the Rest…
Impaired Boating, Theft of Rental Boats, Illegal Harvesting Top Police Blotter A Pennsylvania man faces numerous charges after Maryland Natural Resources Police caught him fleeing the U.S. Coast Guard in the waters near Ocean City. Two Natural Resources Police patrol vessels answered a call for assistance June 29 after the vessel allegedly sped away from Read the Rest…
Programs Held at Johns Hopkins, College of Southern Maryland The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announces open enrollment for Maryland Climate Leadership Academy courses starting this September at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the College of Southern Maryland in Charles County. Registration is open until Aug. 15, but classes are capped at 75 participants. Read the Rest…
Application Process Begins Aug. 6 Throughout State Beginning Aug. 6, Maryland resident hunters can apply for a 2019-2020 waterfowl blind site license. On opening day, applicants will be entered into a lottery for a chance to select their sites. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources assigns a license for each blind site, a designated location Read the Rest…
Summertime fun is settled in throughout Maryland. It’s great to see children whose parent, relative or guardian can take them fishing or crabbing, enjoying all that the Maryland outdoors has to offer.
Fields Planted Statewide for Wildlife Benefit The sunflower fields at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville are now in “peak bloom,” with about 30 acres planted in three fields, providing a spectacular view and serving an important conservation purpose. The Montgomery County area is just one of many sunflower fields the Maryland Department of Natural Read the Rest…
Application Deadline Aug. 31; Drawing Sept. 3 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting applications for the 2019 black bear hunt lottery. Successful applicants will receive a permit valid for the five-day hunting season, taking place Oct. 21-25 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties. The department will issue 800 hunting permits this Read the Rest…
Maryland Department of Natural Resources monitoring shows that dissolved oxygen conditions in the state’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were better than expected in late June. The hypoxic water volume — areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 0.69 cubic miles, which is well below the late June 1985-2018 average of 1.15 Read the Rest…
Natural Resources Police Vigilance and Education Yields Results Maryland Natural Resources Police stayed busy with heightened vigilance during the holiday weekend July 4-7, and are pleased to report a significant reduction of serious boating incidents. During one of Maryland’s busiest times on the waterways, officers were out to prevent unsafe boating, conducting 1,860 boat safety Read the Rest…
Few things in Maryland speak of summer more than Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, although local sweet corn might be a close second.
Public Input on Proposed Changes Now Accepted Through Aug. 19 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has extended the time in which staff will accept public comment on a proposal for restructuring the Chesapeake Forest Lands lease program for hunting clubs. Following requests from the department’s active and engaged stakeholders, comments will be accepted online through Read the Rest…
Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary to Protect World War I-era Shipwrecks NOAA, the state of Maryland and Charles County today announced the designation of a new national marine sanctuary to protect the remains of more than 100 abandoned steamships and vessels built as part of America’s engagement in World War I. Mallows Bay-Potomac River Read the Rest…
Fifty Years Young, The Department’s Mission Continues July 2019 marks exactly 50 years since Governor Marvin Mandel replaced the former Board of Natural Resources with a cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources and our operations began. As we celebrate this milestone, DNR is really proud of the fact that our work is making a difference in Read the Rest…
Anyone who has ventured to the Bay Bridge in the past few weeks knows you will see all kinds of boats fishing the bridge piers. Some remind one of the opening verse of the Fisherman’s Prayer, which President John F. Kennedy kept inscribed on a block of wood on his desk in the Oval Office, Read the Rest…
Aiming to keep our waterways safe this holiday weekend, Maryland Natural Resources Police will again join the nationwide effort by local, state, and federal agencies in the tenth annual Operation DryWater. Officers will be on the water providing heightened enforcement and awareness about the dangers of drinking while boating. Boating under the influence continues to Read the Rest…
