Eastern Shore foliage has hit its peak for the season. “We have had a slow start but are now experiencing those vibrant Autumn colors of deep reds, oranges and yellows,” Park Ranger Joanna Trojanowski reports this week. Oak trees are still showing some color throughout the state, with red oaks bringing some of the most Read the Rest…
Dissolved oxygen conditions continue to be better than average in August Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Old Dominion University show a smaller-than-average volume of hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l oxygen—in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia in early and late August.
A change of seasons is all around us this week, vibrant colors abound, the mornings have a little more chill in them, and anglers are enjoying fishing across Maryland. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced results of this year’s juvenile striped bass survey, which tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in the Read the Rest…
Funding approved for DNR’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement, Rural Legacy, and Program Open Space Local programs The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources items totaling $900,000 in grants to local governments and land trusts to improve parks and protect land with perpetual conservation easements. Among the approvals was a $470,000 grant Read the Rest…
Maryland’s youth hunters, veterans, and military personnel are afforded a unique opportunity to experience the tradition of waterfowl hunting on two special hunt days: Nov. 2, 2024 and Feb. 8, 2025.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery is accepting orders for spring planting. The online tree seedling catalog can be found at nursery.dnr.maryland.gov.
Maryland hunters harvested 125 black bears during the state’s 21st annual black bear hunt held Oct. 21-26 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties. The 2024 harvest was higher than the previous 5-year average of 104 bears. The 2024 harvest consisted of 52 male and 73 female bears. Total harvest from each county was 80 Read the Rest…
In Western Maryland the foliage season is coming to a close, while trees on the Eastern Shore are hitting a midpoint. Trees in Central Maryland are at peak. “In Anne Arundel, the sun-splashed yellow hickory leaves are sprinkled through the forest canopy. The red black gum are prominent while sweet gum are reddening up,” says Read the Rest…
Mild weather conditions and a full spectrum of fall fishing opportunities await anglers this week from the mountains of Western Maryland to the Atlantic. With the fall fishing season well underway, anglers are encouraged to participate in the Department of Natural Resources’ volunteer angler surveys. This is a chance for anglers to directly help with Read the Rest…
On a brisk September morning, fisheries biologists with the help of an electrofishing pontoon barge and a 12-person net crew waded central Maryland’s most popular self-sustaining brown trout fishery searching for what lies beneath the surface. Between the Prettyboy Reservoir and the Loch Raven Reservoir is a 17-mile stretch of fertile trout habitat, where wild Read the Rest…
Maryland hosted its first-ever Outdoor Recreation Summit in October, bringing together hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts for three days of networking and learning at Rocky Gap State Park. Attendees included academics, park rangers, business owners, students, and nonprofit leaders. The summit provided a chance for professionals to connect and to discuss important topics, such as fostering Read the Rest…
Parts of Western Maryland are past peak foliage for the season, while on the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland leaves are approaching their midpoint. In Patapsco Valley State Park there are pockets of green, as well as holes in the forest canopy where winds have knocked down foliage. Foliage in Frederick is near its peak. Read the Rest…
Low spawning success documented for sixth consecutive year The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced results of this year’s juvenile striped bass survey, which tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in the Chesapeake Bay. The 2024 young-of-year index is 2.0, well below the long-term average of 11.0, and marks the sixth consecutive year Read the Rest…
Whether it’s waterfront farmland , culturally important land where Harriet Tubman resided, a working farm in Baltimore County, or a stretch of quiet woodlands in Western Maryland, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Rural Legacy Program has been protecting it for a quarter century. The Maryland Rural Legacy Program protects the viability of agriculture Read the Rest…
The mornings show signs of the approaching colder weather, but the daytime air temperatures and sunny weather are delightful. Trout anglers are enjoying the fall stocking of trout, while Chesapeake Bay and coastal anglers are focusing on a variety of fish. With the fall fishing season well underway, anglers are encouraged to participate in the Read the Rest…
Jeremy Elmore’s quest to qualify began with an accidental catch, and ended in a small pond Jeremy Elmore of Preston has earned a Master Angler Milestone Award under the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ FishMaryland program. Elmore is the 14th Master Angler since the program began in 2019. The award recognizes recreational anglers who catch Read the Rest…
Funding from DNR’s Program Open Space Local and Rural Legacy programs will support new Edgewater Recreation Center and conservation easements in Southern Maryland The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources items totaling about $2.9 million in grants to local governments and land trusts to improve parks and protect land with Read the Rest…
Welcome to this week’s Fall Foliage Report for the Old Line State – or maybe it’s the Gold Line State. That’s what many of the hickories and birch trees in our state are showing right now – leaves with yellow, golden hues. Overall, foresters and rangers continue to report a lackluster leaf show for 2024. Read the Rest…
Marylanders continue to see temperatures dip as we move our way through October. Fishing could hardly be better for a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater fish. To the delight of trout anglers, the fall trout stocking program has begun. Other anglers set their sights on fish like the invasive flathead catfish. With the fall Read the Rest…
Effort comes as part of state’s new Four Point Oyster Sanctuary Plan The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has selected the next three sites for large-scale oyster restoration in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, marking the beginning of the state’s next phase of major oyster restoration. The department will conduct oyster restoration and monitoring Read the Rest…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have awarded the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) two grants through the Chesapeake Watershed Investment for Landscape Defense (Chesapeake WILD) program. Grant funds will support comprehensive conservation strategies including targeted reintroduction efforts for two freshwater fish species listed as species of Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) advises hunters that Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) has been confirmed in Maryland and is the likely cause of death for white-tailed deer reported in numerous counties across the state. EHD is a naturally occurring disease that affects white-tailed deer and, rarely, domestic livestock. The disease poses no threat Read the Rest…
Fan Favorite Winner to Be Chosen on Facebook The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has chosen the winners of the annual Maryland Natural Resource Photo Contest, with the grand prize going to Debby Berlyne for her photo of a green heron at Brookside Gardens.
Science is the foundation of everything we do at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. To emphasize this point, DNR conducted its second annual Science Week from Sept. 23 to 27 to highlight the department’s field experts working to conserve and protect our lands, waters, and wildlife. During this week I traveled more than 500 Read the Rest…
The word “cryptid” evokes visions of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or Chupacabra. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a cryptid is “a creature that is found in stories and that some people believe exists or say they have seen, but that has never been proven to exist.” Yet. Do we have cryptids in Maryland? Some Read the Rest…
Recent dam removals on the Patapsco River ease their path A thousand or so miles into their migration, some American eels find themselves in the bottom of a bucket. One late summer day, a Maryland Conservation Corps crew took a net to the holding tank at the top of Daniels Dam on the border of Read the Rest…
Casselman River Bridge in Grantsville. Note, due to safety concerns, the 210-year-old bridge is currently closed. Photo by Melissa Nash, Maryland Forest Service. Hallelujah, rain. That is what the trees would say if they could talk. Much of Maryland has been experiencing drought, so this big drink of water will be stupendous for the flora. Read the Rest…
State will select up to five watersheds for a five-year targeted investment for restoration The Whole Watershed Restoration Partnership, created to address multiple conservation goals in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays and their watersheds, has released a Request for Proposals seeking watershed restoration project proposals to review and consider for state investment across multiple Read the Rest…
The first segment of Maryland’s muzzleloader deer season will be open Oct. 17-19 statewide. Hunters in Region B — the state’s central, southern, and eastern regions — can also use muzzleloaders from Oct. 21-26 for antlerless deer only.
October temperatures and hungry fish are setting the stage for fun fishing adventures. Families and friends are taking advantage of setting out to enjoy the outdoors from western Maryland to our coastal waters. Don’t miss this extraordinary time to enjoy fishing together.
Funding for DNR programs includes upgrades for parks in Howard and Queen Anne’s counties The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources items totaling $3.8 million in grants to local governments to improve parks and acquire park land. A total of $3.5 million in Program Open Space – Local funds were approved Read the Rest…
By Sarah Witcher With cooler fall weather comes some of the most popular times to get outside and enjoy our favorite forms of recreation. Whether that’s camping, hiking, biking, climbing, just parking at a scenic spot to watch the sunset,our activities can and do have a profound effect on the wildlife with whom we share Read the Rest…
By Katy Gorsuch Spiderwebs! Furry legs! The glint of multiple shining eyes! It’s not difficult to see why spiders are so feared: they’re relatively small, possess an unsettling number of legs, and some are venomous to humans. They tend to lurk in dark and unused corners, which may contribute to our sense of alarm when Read the Rest…
By Katy Gorsuch What’s pale like a mushroom, but has flowers like a plant? It isn’t a riddle, but if you happen to see this unusual and ghostly member of the plant kingdom while hiking you may feel that way. Monotropa uniflora goes by many names; ghost flower, ghost or corpse plant, ghost pipe, or Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds residents that black bears are beginning a period of increased feeding activity in preparation for winter hibernation. As the leaves change and the weather cools, bears become more active as they search for food. During this time, bears will travel across roads more frequently. They also can become more attracted to Read the Rest…
By Katy Gorsuch “Then, as he wended his way by swamp and stream and awful woodland, to the farmhouse where he happened to be quartered, every sound of nature, at that witching hour, fluttered his excited imagination,—the moan of the whip-poor-will from the hillside, the boding cry of the tree toad, that harbinger of Read the Rest…
