Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Outdoor Equity Mini Grant program is doubling its impact in 2025, providing $65,000 to projects that are introducing more Marylanders to camping, mountain biking, outdoor education, and nature-based wellness. Projects chosen by DNR’s Office of Outdoor Recreation for funding include an initiative to introduce mountain biking to women in Read the Rest…
As cool temperatures set in, fall foliage is at its peak in Maryland – and past peak in Garrett County, where fallen leaves offer crisp contrast to the grays and greens of rocky trails. Trees along the Catoctin Mountain range have continued to change through the past week. The region is currently at peak color, Read the Rest…
The fall months offer comfortable temperatures for plenty of outdoor fun and the scenery of the changing foliage is icing on the cake. It is a wonderful time to share good times fishing together.
In early fall, as the leaves on the trees in Maryland’s western counties signal their seasonal transition, brook trout prepare for a change as well as their spawning season will begin soon. During this time, males’ colors become more brilliant, and females create underwater nests called redds where they will lay their eggs. Maryland Department Read the Rest…
Maryland hunters harvested 89 black bears during the state’s 22nd annual black bear hunt held Oct. 20-25 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington counties. The 2025 harvest was slightly lower than the 5-year average of 100 bears. The 2025 harvest consisted of 44 male and 45 female bears. The total harvest from each county was 62 Read the Rest…
Hypoxia volumes decreased in late summer from earlier highs Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Old Dominion University showed an above average volume of hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l of oxygen—in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia in early August, that then decreased to below average in late Read the Rest…
Maryland’s youth hunters, veterans, and military personnel will be afforded a unique opportunity to experience the tradition of waterfowl hunting on two special hunt days: Nov. 1, 2025 and Feb. 7, 2026.
Much of Maryland is experiencing midpoint, near-peak, or peak foliage. Dry conditions and crisp temperatures are expected this weekend throughout the state, ushering in ideal conditions for fall foliage. The National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory for Washington County Thursday evening.
Two recent studies by Maryland Department of Natural Resources scientists – one about underwater grass habitat and another on a major invasive threat – highlight how research findings can inform fisheries management. A study led by DNR biologist Dr. Joseph W. Love, published in Ecological Modelling (May 2024), modeled the effects of habitat and catch-and-release Read the Rest…
Despite the strong autumn winds we’ve been experiencing lately, anglers can find a lee shore or perhaps a tucked away quiet piece of water to enjoy fishing and the fall foliage. This is a wonderful month to enjoy the outdoors, so don’t miss it. The 2025 striped bass young of the year survey results have Read the Rest…
Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local, Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure, Greenspace Equity, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs The Board of Public Works today approved more than $3.8 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments for outdoor recreational improvements and land conservation in Read the Rest…
By Sadie Rozics When choosing my undergraduate thesis project at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, I knew I wanted to collaborate with an organization in my home state of Maryland so that my work could be mutually beneficial and hands-on, giving back to my community. After connecting with Natural Heritage Program staff, we collaborated Read the Rest…
Randall Cleaver first reached out to Wild Acres in October of 2023; he and wife Ashley Flory just purchased a historic house with a unique backyard in Chestertown, Kent County. He wanted to install a meadow and backyard pond, and he knew that planting native will always mean the hardiest plants and the most wildlife Read the Rest…
By Katy Gorsuch In the ongoing human quest to connect to the land and to ourselves, many of us turn to food gardening. Getting your hands dirty as a way to figuratively and literally “touch grass” is as old as humanity itself, but what can you do to help our native wildlife at the Read the Rest…
Maryland’s outdoor recreation opportunities are vast and diverse – biking, hiking, climbing, swimming, boating – too many pursuits to list! Most of these pastimes require a certain degree of athleticism or at least ample mobility to enjoy. And the rewards of deep treks into the woods or paddling into remote marshes include some spectacular wildlife Read the Rest…
As we hit mid-October, our foresters are reporting past-peak conditions at high elevations, while farther east leaves are still only starting to change. Garrett County is experiencing peak foliage this week, with brilliant yellow leaves on shagbark and pignut hickory trees.
Fair skies abound this week as the recent Nor’easter is just a memory. There is plenty of good fishing to be found this week as mild temperatures and sunny weather have moved in across the state.
Slight improvement documented, but spawning success is still below average The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) 2025 juvenile striped bass survey recorded a young-of-year index of 4.0. This is an improvement over recent years, but still well below the long-term survey average of 11. This marks the seventh consecutive year of low spawning success Read the Rest…
James L. Frazetti Jr. landed a record-setting fish one day and caught his 10th award-eligible fish the next The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially recognized James L. Frazetti Jr. of Crownsville with a state record for a 7-pound, 8-ounce pompano dolphinfish (Coryphaena equiselis) and also as recipient of a FishMaryland Master Angler Award. Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting grant proposals for the FY 2027 Greenspace Equity Program, which provides funding to land trusts, nongovernmental organizations, and local governments to acquire and/or develop public greenspaces in overburdened and underserved communities. The goal of the Greenspace Equity Program is to preserve, create, and improve public Read the Rest…
A field of quartzite boulders extends along South Mountain, the surface sun-baked and lichen-coated, but beneath, Maryland’s tiniest, rarest bats may be roosting in the dark hollows and cracks between rocks, each crevice a potential tiny shelter. As bats emerge from the rocks at night to feast on insects, biologists are filling up their plate Read the Rest…
Red maple at Anne Arundel Community College. Photo by Gabriel Diggs This fall, the trees are challenging our “just changing-to-midpoint-to-peak” foliage scale. In Garrett County, foresters report that about a quarter of trees are now bare, and those that still have leaves are everything from green to burgundy and gold. Continued change along the Catoctin Read the Rest…
October presents a wonderful opportunity to spend some time fishing in the comfort of mild temperatures and the beautiful settings of fall foliage and peaceful waters.
Federal government shutdown could impact Agreement’s finalization Last week, Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff joined representatives from other jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to recommend proposed changes to the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement based on the public feedback we received this year. The updates to this important agreement took place at the Read the Rest…
A secret to restoring the Chesapeake Bay is just waiting to be unearthed. In the maritime state of Maryland, dredging is done routinely to keep waterways navigable by removing shoals and making sure channels are deep enough for boats to pass. But the materials removed from the waterways — sediment, sand, mud — have to Read the Rest…
University of Maryland projects highlight adaptive management to sea-level rise and other changes You’re on a walkway in a park. You can see trees, a road, a marsh and a coastline against a vibrant blue sky all around you. Then, you hear the toll of a bell. The marsh expands, the water edges up the Read the Rest…
The 78-pound fish was landed off Ocean City The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially recognized Marc Spagnola of Berlin, Worcester County, as the new state record holder for longfin albacore (Thunnus alalunga) for the Atlantic Division. Spagnola’s 78-pound catch surpasses the previous record set in 2004 by four pounds. Spagnola was fishing out Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that squirrel, rabbit, fall turkey, and other small game seasons are either underway or set to open in the coming weeks. Some of these species offer generous seasons and bag limits and are abundant throughout Maryland.
In most of Maryland leaves are just changing or green. Rain has slowed down some of the early foliage change taking place in Western Maryland, and foresters are hopeful that September showers will bring some October vibrancy. The Eastern Shore is starting to have a few pops of color in the understory triggered in part Read the Rest…
Hunters can apply for blind sites at Deep Creek and Broadford lakes The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering waterfowl hunting opportunities in late fall and winter on Deep Creek Lake and Broadford Lake in Garrett County, Maryland. This regulated hunt is open for all legal waterfowl species in accordance with Maryland hunting regulations and is an important Read the Rest…
It is always fun for anglers to strike out on a new fishing adventure. Venturing to an unexplored body of water or looking for a different species than usual can add a little spice to your fishing experience.
Governor Wes Moore has commissioned Solomons resident and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Professor Thomas Miller as the 111th Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay. The Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay is a lifetime achievement award bestowed upon individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Read the Rest…
Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local and Community Parks and Playgrounds The Board of Public Works today approved nearly $4.2 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments for recreational facilities in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Caroline, Carroll, Dorchester, Garrett, Howard, Kent, St. Mary’s, and Washington counties.
Deer mating season is right around the corner, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds motorists to be vigilant. The shortening of daylight hours, called the photo period, triggers white-tailed deer breeding season. During this time, deer travel across roads in often unpredictable patterns at all times of the day and night in search of a mate. Read the Rest…
