The Maryland Park Service is challenging visitors to walk one mile for each year since the founding of our country – 250 miles for America’s 250th. The “Miles for Maryland” Trail Challenge encourages everyone to get outdoors, enjoy the fresh air, and be active in 2026. Visit your nearest park, or explore the state to Read the Rest…
Maryland State Parks will offer First Day Hike opportunities across the state from December 31, 2025 through January 2, 2026. Hikes are held in every region of Maryland. Visitors can find a First Day Hikes event near them on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website. First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative Read the Rest…
Winter hunt offers last opportunity to bag deer with conventional firearms in the 2025-2026 season The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will open the winter firearm deer hunting season on Jan. 9, 2026 in Deer Management Region B, which includes all of the state except the westernmost counties. Hunters with a valid hunting license, or those exempt from Read the Rest…
Harvest decreased about 10% compared to last year’s total Maryland hunters reported harvesting 27,620 deer during the two-week firearm season from Nov. 29 through Dec. 13. The firearms season harvest was 10.4% lower than last year’s official count of 30,833 deer but only 3% lower than the five-year average of 28,467 deer. The deer harvest fluctuates Read the Rest…
Early indicators suggest the coming months could be active for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds again this year. Avian influenza, often called “bird flu,” is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds. While once considered rare in Maryland, the virus is now being detected more commonly in the state’s wild Read the Rest…
Each year, anglers, hunters, and other wildlife enthusiasts flock to remote areas of the United States in pursuit of regional species for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Many are familiar with the classics: Bull elk hunting in the Rockies, casting for elusive tarpon in the Florida Keys, and searching for ducks along the Mississippi Flyway. Each of Read the Rest…
Marina, boatyard, and yacht club operators are invited to attend a free seminar in January 2026 to learn about best practices to protect our waters and how to earn a Maryland Clean Marina designation. Seminars will also present results from the department’s 2025 Maryland Marina Survey, resiliency tools for marina, and offer free education and Read the Rest…
More than 555,330 Added in FY2025 Toward 2031 Goal Maryland’s 5 Million Trees program has reached more than 1.5 million native trees planted, marking a major milestone and reflecting strong momentum toward reaching the state’s ambitious goal of planting 5 million trees by 2031. More than 555,330 trees were planted in Fiscal Year 2025, according Read the Rest…
Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local and Rural Legacy programs, and to support local recreation communication boards The Board of Public Works today approved $13.2 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments and land trusts for parks and land conservation in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Read the Rest…
Lethargic sea turtles and marine mammals should be reported to 800-628-9944 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources asks those visiting the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic coast to be vigilant of sea turtles who exhibit signs of cold-stunning, a condition that causes animals to become debilitated and experience hypothermia-like symptoms due to prolonged exposure to cold Read the Rest…
Anglers are now picking the days they fish based on weather, and there will be those sunny days with little wind that will invite anglers to wet a line. After December 10, the 2025 striped bass season will be closed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. The tidal Potomac River Read the Rest…
Recognition for conservation, education, and sportsmanship The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission are seeking nominations for the annual Maryland Sport Fisheries Achievement Award, a celebration of conservation, education, and sportsmanship. This prestigious honor recognizes individuals who have worked to improve efforts in habitat management, conservation, education, research, or made other Read the Rest…
Harvest down during opening weekend but DNR expects a firearms harvest similar to years past Maryland hunters reported harvesting 9,633 deer on the opening weekend of the 2025 firearm season from Nov. 29 – Nov. 30, according to data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The opening weekend harvest decreased 11.5% from last year’s official Read the Rest…
In the last week of October, Maryland’s outdoor recreation community gathered in Baltimore for our second annual Maryland Outdoor Recreation Summit. Bringing together the partners that comprise and support Maryland’s outdoor recreation community – local and state government, environmental organizations, educators, outfitters, and other businesses – is essential. The science is clear: time in nature Read the Rest…
The second half of Maryland’s muzzleloader deer hunting season will be open Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, 2026. The first half of the split season was held in October. Hunters may use muzzleloading firearms to harvest sika and white-tailed deer during this time.
Maryland anglers are adjusting to the colder weather and water temperatures and enjoying good fishing when the weather allows
Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local, Rural Legacy, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Permanent Easement programs The Board of Public Works today approved $3.75 million in grants from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to local governments and land trusts for recreation and land conservation in Baltimore, Cecil, Charles, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and St. Read the Rest…
Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Old Dominion University showed that 2025 seasonal hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l of oxygen—was slightly above average in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia. Hypoxia was below average in May and early June, then higher than average in late June through early Read the Rest…
Governor Wes Moore on Dec. 2 led the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council in approving the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which includes goals that will improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, increase access to nature, and support livelihoods that depend on this nationally treasured resource. The revised agreement supports the environmental and economic Read the Rest…
Pilot project will guide development of a restoration plan at an exciting period for mussel efforts in the state On a chilly fall morning, as fog drifted over the Potomac River, scientists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources hauled three concrete balls out of the water. Inside each of these 25-pound, thick-walled bowls was Read the Rest…
