Labor Day is almost upon us, and with September comes small changes in weather that will affect fishing in Maryland. Cooler water temperatures will cause some of our summer migrants to start heading south, and local fish species will become more active throughout the day. This week is our final Striped Bass Fishing Advisory Forecast Read the Rest…
Governor Hogan’s Budget Supports Outdoor Access Across Maryland The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) request to fund a second group of Community Parks & Playgrounds Program for Fiscal Year 2023. The Board is composed of Governor Larry Hogan, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, and Comptroller Peter Franchot. Overall, Governor Read the Rest…
Nonprofit Provides ‘Small Grant, Big Impact’ Funds for 15 Projects The Maryland Park Service was awarded 15 improvement project grants by the Friends of Maryland State Parks through the organization’s program, “Small Grants, Big Impact!” This funding is for projects that focus on conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation, and are important additions benefitting Maryland Read the Rest…
Summertime fun continues across Maryland, and it is a great time for dads and moms to spend special moments while fishing with children and making memories that will last a lifetime. Remember to check the striped bass fishing advisory forecast for excessively hot weather, and help protect our smaller catch-and-release fish for future seasons.
Conditions Were Positive to Average As Month Progressed Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Old Dominion University show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia were mixed in July 2022, with early July hypoxic volumes well below average, and late July near average. The Read the Rest…
Exhibits Now Open in the Mosner Miller Building The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will bring displays, exhibits and programs about our state’s forests, fish, waters, and wildlife to the 2022 Maryland State Fair at the Timonium Fairgrounds from Thursday, Aug. 25 through Monday, September 11. Fairgoers are invited to stop by the DNR Read the Rest…
The summer days keep rolling along – be sure to enjoy what time we have now with kids before they are back to school. Soon it will be September, exciting times for anglers as water temperatures cool and fishing kicks into high gear. But until then, remember that hot weather creates tough conditions for undersized Read the Rest…
Working to Protect Our Resources for Generations to Come I know we are not supposed to have favorites, but one of my favorite programs at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is our conservation corps. These important programs provide workforce and leadership training to youth and veterans, which is important not just for our Read the Rest…
Families are fitting in those last summer vacations and simple relaxing times close to home. From local ponds and tributaries to the waters off Ocean City, Maryland’s waters are ideal places to spend time with children and allow them to experience the joys of fishing. Remember that hot weather creates tough conditions for undersized striped Read the Rest…
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer Have you ever looked at someone you’ve known your entire life and realized you never noticed something about their appearance? For many of us who have lived in Maryland a long time, it’s easy to leave our Read the Rest…
The art of leaf printing has been around for hundreds of years, with the first example discovered in the year 1,228 CE. From the 13th to the 19th century, botanists, herbalists, and doctors all over the world used herbal prints for medical research and identification. In this country, Benjamin Franklin began printing a leaf on Read the Rest…
As we move into the sultry dog days of summer, don’t forget our feathered friends. Birds don’t have sweat glands like people, so they’ve evolved other ways to cool off. Panting, like your dog, is one way, especially for our smaller songbirds. Their fluffy down feathers insulate from the heat, as they do from the Read the Rest…
Who needs flowers when you have fiddleheads? Ferns not only provide foraging space for ground-feeding birds, but they create vital shelter for numerous species of Maryland wildlife. Let’s explore a bit about why ferns are fascinating and look at some of the benefits of planting them in your home habitat.
Government land management titles are often a tangle of acronyms, with federal and state programs differing in their terminology, but remaining just similar enough to be confusing. Generally each defining term has meaning when it comes to things like how a land parcel was chosen, what it intends to conserve, and how it’s managed for Read the Rest…
With record levels of investment in recent years, Maryland State Parks are expanding, with new parks and facilities being opened and existing properties undergoing upgrades. Statewide, landscape restoration projects are also underway to improve wildlife habitat, restore streams and shorelines, and plant trees. These efforts are designed to ensure that Maryland’s award-winning state park system Read the Rest…
Wild turtles are on the move in spring and summer, looking for love and a place to nest. During nesting season female turtles don’t travel far from their typical homes, often attempting to cross busy roads to reach ideal nesting habitat. Deal Island Road in the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is one such Read the Rest…
Letha Grimes grew up exploring nature. As a young angler, she loved fishing local farm ponds and the upper Potomac River. The outdoor experiences of her childhood inspired Grimes to take an entry level job as a conservation technician at the Albert Powell Trout Hatchery in Hagerstown. At this Maryland Department of Natural Resources facility, Read the Rest…
More than a decade ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began requiring anglers to pay a fee and register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry before fishing for anadromous species–those that move between saltwater and freshwater habitats. The registry is a tool that helps NOAA survey anglers to estimate recreational fishing effort and Read the Rest…
The waters off the Maryland coast are home to diverse marine life, including sea turtles and marine mammals such as dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Marine mammals, including humpback whales, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972; this and other species such as sei, right, and fin whales are also listed as endangered. Read the Rest…
The success of fire suppression operations depends on having a readily available watersource. In cities and developed suburban areas, fire hydrants are connected to public water systems and are readily accessible for firefighters. But many rural areas of the state do not have pressurized fire hydrant systems. In many cases, firefighters require water to be Read the Rest…
Every summer since I have been Secretary, I have been proud to share with you excerpts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Annual Report. We have long produced this document highlighting the achievements of our multiple operating units during the previous year in an effort to keep you informed of our activities. Since 2019, Read the Rest…
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…
Program Provides Career Training for Environmental Stewards The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) honored 35 members of the 2021-2022 Maryland Conservation Corps during their graduation program on August 3. The ceremony commemorated the members’ completion of 10 months of job training, conservation work, and stewardship with the Maryland Park Service. Members from across the Read the Rest…
Maryland Teens Complete Outdoor Jobs Skills Program More than three dozen young Marylanders celebrated their graduation from the Conservation Jobs Corps August 2 after five weeks of job training, conservation education, hard work, and fun. The ceremony was held at Sandy Point State Park in Anne Arundel County with former Veterans Conservation Corps crew leader Read the Rest…
This is an exciting week for fishing and crabbing in Maryland! The Chesapeake Bay striped bass season has reopened, and more seasonal fish are arriving in the Bay, rivers, and Atlantic Ocean. Remember that hot weather creates tough conditions for undersized striped bass that are caught and released. From now until September, DNR once again Read the Rest…
Department Accepting Grant Applications for Fiscal Year 2024 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the Grants Gateway application is open for local governments and organizations for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins July 1, 2023. Through this process, funding is available for projects that restore local waterways, increase communities’ resilience to climate change and storm Read the Rest…
