Governor Wes Moore today announced the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act as part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s legislative priorities for the 2025 General Assembly. This legislation builds upon the administration’s historic efforts to improve the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality, introduces comprehensive changes to support regenerative agriculture, and streamlines oyster aquaculture — providing new economic pathways for farmers, and Read the Rest…
Angler fishing the lower Susquehanna River breaks a record held since 1979 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recognizes Thomas Dembeck Jr. of Hydes as the new state record holder for yellow perch – Perca flavescens – in the Chesapeake division. Dembeck caught the 2.3-pound, 16-inch fish on February 7 while fishing in the tidal Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has posted the proposed 2025-2026 Migratory Game Bird Seasons for public review. As in years past, DNR is providing an online forum to collect public comment on these proposals now through February 24. The DNR website also includes a presentation reviewing the current status of relevant waterfowl populations, including Atlantic Population (migratory) Canada Read the Rest…
Initiatives will trial ideas aimed at increasing invasive catfish removals in the Chesapeake Bay The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is launching two pilot programs in coordination with its Invasive Catfish Advisory Committee aimed at curbing the spread of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Applications are now open for the Read the Rest…
At Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, we take great care to protect the state’s fish and wildlife to ensure the state’s unique opportunities are available for the next generation of hunters and anglers. Equally important is that Maryland’s magnificent natural resources are accessible to everyone – and that extends to how we provide licenses. In Read the Rest…
Annual Event Celebrates Mountain Maryland Tradition The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites everyone to come celebrate the annual Maple Syrup Festival at Cunningham Falls State Park, the weekends of March 8-9 and March 15-16. During this event, held annually for more than 50 years, guests can gather around the Sugar Shack to watch sugarmakers Read the Rest…
Aerial survey teams of pilots and biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have completed their annual population estimates of ducks, geese, and swans along the state’s Chesapeake Bay, tidal Potomac River and Atlantic coast shorelines. This year, the teams counted about 705,300 waterfowl, which was higher than both the 593,200 birds Read the Rest…
Documenting the journeys of the birds who travel away from the Free State each year In recent summers on Maryland’s “tern raft,” a man-made conservation platform that serves as habitat for state-endangered colonial nesting waterbirds, scientists found a common tern with a distinctive orange tag on its leg. The tag indicated that Argentinian researchers had Read the Rest…
Site on Eastern Shore supports recreation and acts as “big green sponge” filtering water A few years ago, the land around the Holly Tree Trail on Wye Island was all agricultural fields. But now, just a few steps into the trail, visitors can hear the quacks and clamor of hundreds or sometimes thousands of ducks Read the Rest…
Fish communities changed significantly in the Blackwater River drainage Chesapeake Channa adults were first documented in Maryland, thousands of miles from their native habitat in East Asia in 2002. Subsequent illegal introductions and natural dispersal in the decades since their arrival in Maryland expanded the species range. A new study by the Maryland Department of Read the Rest…
The cold hand of winter may be loosening its icy grip on the Maryland landscape with warmer temperatures forecast this week. Fast-moving streams and creeks in the western region are providing excellent trout fishing opportunities. The 2025 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing is expected to be available by the end of February. A few Read the Rest…
Maryland’s youth hunters, veterans, and military personnel can experience the excitement of a special waterfowl hunting day on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. A similar special hunting day is held each November.
Funding approved for DNR’s Program Open Space Local and Rural Legacy programs The Board of Public Works today approved more than $1.8 million in grants to local governments and land trusts from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to improve parks and protect land with perpetual conservation easements. About $800,000 in Program Open Space – Local funding Read the Rest…
Winning photos will be featured on new hard-card hunting and fishing licenses The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites wildlife photographers to enter its new waterfowl photo contest. The winning entry will be the featured image on new DNR hard card hunting and fishing licenses that will be available later this year. Entries for Read the Rest…
Final Opportunity for Deer Hunters for the 2024-25 Season Maryland’s Primitive Deer Hunt will be open Feb. 1 and from Feb. 3-4 statewide. Hunters with a valid hunting license, or those exempt from the hunting license requirement, may use primitive bows or muzzleloaders to hunt antlered and antlerless sika and white-tailed deer during these three days. Primitive Read the Rest…
Mid-Atlantic region high school students interested in camping, fishing, hunting, tree-planting, and other outdoor activities have an exciting opportunity to join the Natural Resources Careers Camp (NRCC) in Garrett County this summer. A collaboration of the Maryland Forestry Foundation, Allegany College of Maryland, and the Maryland Forest Service, this week-long co-ed program is designed for Read the Rest…
Earlier this week, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) expanded its long-term contract with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to provide more wildlife technicians in the state to dispose of dead waterfowl, raptors, and other birds that could be carrying Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The federal agency specializes in eliminating and removing Read the Rest…
New public nomination process created for one of Maryland’s most prestigious environmental achievement awards The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is creating a new public nomination process for the Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay award to try to solicit a broad range of nominations for individuals who have organized communities, led restoration efforts, and helped Read the Rest…
This joint DNR-federal facility is critical for oyster science and other marine research for the region The Cooperative Oxford Laboratory is a unique collaborative research facility shared by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service and the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Located Read the Rest…
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has initiated a process to create an updated Land Preservation and Recreation Plan, as well as the first Maryland State Parks Strategic Plan. These complementary plans will guide efforts to conserve land in Maryland, protect ecosystems, and provide valuable recreational amenities for all residents. As part of this Read the Rest…
Funding approved for DNR’s Rural Legacy program The Board of Public Works today approved Maryland Department of Natural Resources items totaling $620,000 in Rural Legacy grants to local governments to protect land with perpetual conservation easements. This grant funding was approved for two counties. Harford County will receive funding to acquire a conservation easement on 41 Read the Rest…
It’s time to re-invigorate our strategy and build on significant work and progress we started more than 40 years ago to restore the Chesapeake Bay. This movement will be focused on people. It will leave no watershed behind.
Maryland State Parks kicked off 2025 with its annual First Day Hike tradition, joined by more than 5,200 visitors across the state. Although January 1 was windy and cold across most of Maryland, the enthusiasm for stepping into a new year was warm. On New Year’s Day, 2,266 people hiked more than 5,260 miles on Read the Rest…
By Ranger Sarah Milbourne I can vividly remember the first time I saw a bald eagle in the wild. I was about nine or ten, helping my grandfather clear weeds around his bright-yellow farm house in Ingleside, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A World War II veteran, tall and lanky, my grandfather never spoke of his Read the Rest…
State is on track towards 5 million trees goal after plantings increased significantly in 2024 Before the close of 2024, Maryland planted more than 1 million trees towards the state’s 5 Million Trees Initiative. The millionth tree was planted in western Maryland in the fall, according to Maryland Department of Natural Resources data. The milestone Read the Rest…
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Office of Mayor Brandon Scott, and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks join forces to maximize resources, enhance stewardship, and increase accessibility in Baltimore City’s largest park Gwynns Falls is Baltimore City’s largest park and among the largest urban woodland parks in the country. This 1,000-plus acre greenspace in the Read the Rest…
The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) issued various citations and made numerous arrests for violations of criminal and natural resource law throughout the fall season of 2024. Charges filed against individuals include hunting out of season, baiting game animals, theft, weapons violations, spotlighting deer, commercial oyster violations, and other crimes.
“In nature, nothing exists alone.” – Rachel Carson Now that many winter holiday celebrations have come and gone, the next on the horizon is Valentine’s Day. Since this is a holiday rife with confusing human history and a variety of social traditions, let’s turn to the animals for some Valentine’s Day wisdom and explore some Read the Rest…
Set some realistic green goals for the New Year! As spring approaches, animals stir in their winter dens, and we as humans tend to throw open our windows to the returning sun. What a time for shaking off the dust of winter! And what a time to stretch our stiff limbs to new life – Read the Rest…
“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open hearts.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer A walk outside in the winter months always feels strikingly different from the summer, not just in the temperatures and the way the natural world looks, but in the way it Read the Rest…
When spring approaches, one of the first vivid colors to pierce our sleepy winter eyes is often the stark magenta of Eastern Redbud. One may be forgiven, then, in overlooking the explosion of white blooms that appear at the same time, though they signal the awakening of a similarly important species: the versatile serviceberry!
