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Upper Potomac River Advisory

Issued for Boating and Recreational Activities

Photo of high water and debris in the Upper Potomac River.The Maryland Natural Resources Police has issued a safety advisory to avoid boating and other recreational activity on the Upper Potomac River until further notice.

High water, debris and weakened shoreline have combined to make the river and its tributaries, from Harpers Ferry to Little Falls, hazardous for recreational use. Read more…


An Evolving Force: Natural Resources Police Celebrates 150th Anniversary

Collage of police work

This year, the Maryland Natural Resources Police is celebrating its 150th anniversary, a milestone that makes it the fourth-oldest state conservation law enforcement agency in the nation. Then as now, the mission is to protect the state’s most precious resources, its citizens and visitors. Read more…


Ask an Expert: Winter 2018

Photo of: Frozen Deep Creek Lake

Frozen Deep Creek Lake; by Candy Thomson

Maryland boasts plenty of outdoor winter activities! Our experts offer tips on how to stay safe while ice fishing and snowmobiling. Read more…


Maryland Natural Resources Police Rescue Three Boaters in Distress

Photo courtesy of Support Maryland Watermen

Photo courtesy of Support Maryland Watermen

At the height of Thursday’s strong storms, a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer responded to a call for boaters in distress just north of Kent Narrows.

Three men – all wearing life jackets – were in the water, waving for help. The officer pulled all three aboard his patrol boat and then corralled their capsized canoe and towed it to shore. Read more…


Maryland Natural Resources Police Respond to 15 Boating Accidents this Holiday Weekend

Partners with U.S. Coast Guard for Operation Dry Water

For the second consecutive year, the Fourth of July holiday ended without a boating fatality, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.

Statewide there were 15 boating accidents, an increase of three over 2016, and officers arrested 12 boaters for operating under the influence of alcohol, the same number as last year.

Read more…


Wicomico County Man Charged with Illegal Harvesting, Health Violations

Maryland Natural Resources Police officers on surveillance at the Nanticoke River Oyster Sanctuary charged a Wicomico County man with illegal harvesting and public health violations. Read more…


Maryland Boaters Urged to Keep Safe as Summer Season Begins

Maryland’s “Ride Inside” Campaign Launched During National Boating Safety Week

Secretary Mark Belton speaking on boating and water safety at a press conference at Sandy Point State Park.

Secretary Mark Belton speaking on boating and water safety at a press conference at Sandy Point State Park.

As the boating season gets underway this Memorial Day weekend, state enforcement officials and partners are urging Maryland residents and visitors to take simple, proven steps to keep safe.

This week, Maryland Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Coast Guard held events in Ocean City and Annapolis to kick off the “Ride Inside” campaign to curtail the illegal and dangerous practice of riding on the bow of a moving motorized vessel.

Read more…


Practice Safe Boating this Holiday Weekend

PatrollingThe goal this July 4th weekend for the Maryland Natural Resources Police is simple: fewer boating accidents.

The game plan is direct: officers will be going all-out on the state’s waterways, from Deep Creek Lake to the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more…


Safe Memorial Day Weekend Seen in Maryland

Fewer Boating Accidents; No Fatalities Reported

No injures reported when this boat capsized Saturday at the mouth of the Patapsco River.

A safety-conscious public and a concerted effort by Maryland Natural Resources Police kept the Memorial Day weekend free of fatalities and with just four reported boat accidents. Read more…


Abandoned Boat Case Solved; Turkey, Fish Poachers Caught

nrp boatMaryland Natural Resources Police officers solved an abandoned boat case, and charged fish and turkey poachers across the state in recent enforcement actions. Read more…


It Can Happen to You: How to stay safe on the water

Wake; department photo

Brad Stemcosky is a careful boater. He knows all the rules and owns all the best safety gear.

Experienced and cautious, he’s a walking poster boy for boating safety.

Yet on a late December afternoon last year, he and a fishing buddy were flailing in the frigid waters of the Potomac River, the day’s light failing and their options running out. Read more…


Two Anglers Rescued from Potomac River

Natural Resources Police Warns of Cold-Water Dangers

orange life preserver Life jackets made the difference for two Washington-area anglers who spent about an hour in the chilling waters of the Potomac River late Sunday afternoon after their small boat filled with water and capsized. Read more…


NRP Logs Busy Labor Day Weekend with Rescues and Arrests

NRP LogoThe traditional final weekend of summer proved to be a busy one for the men and women of Maryland Natural Resources Police.

For the three-day Labor Day holiday, officers responded to 15 boating accidents that resulted in injury or property damage, arrested six people on charges of impaired boating and seven others on criminal charges. They wrote 437 tickets and issued 1,204 warnings. Officers across the state conducted 1,983 boat safety inspections, spoke with 3,587 anglers and 235 hunters.
Read more…


NRP Launches Safe Boating Campaign To Run Through Labor Day

Boating safety Aug 15SANDY POINT STATE PARK – Vowing to step up enforcement and outreach to protect Maryland’s boating public, the Maryland Natural Resources Police today outlined a campaign that will run weekends through Labor Day.

Seventeen people have died in boating accidents in Maryland so far this year, two short of the record reached in 2011 and 1996.

Read more…


NRP Urges Safe Boating During Busy July 4th Holiday

NRP on patrol on the Magothy River

NRP on patrol on the Magothy River

After a weekend in which three people died on Maryland waterways, the mission for the Maryland Natural Resources Police this July 4th holiday is simple: fewer boating accidents.

The game plan is direct: officers will be going all-out on the state’s waterways, from the Atlantic Ocean to Deep Creek Lake. Read more…


Stay Safe on the Water: What to Know Before You Go

Lifegaurd at Sandy Point State Park Whether jet skiing across the Bay or surfing the waves of the Atlantic, there is no better relief from a hot Maryland day than a cool, refreshing dip in the water. With Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer right around the corner, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reminds swimmers, boaters, anglers — everyone headed out on the water — to develop a precautionary safety and rescue plan and know the following tips before heading out. Read more…


NRP Steps Up Patrols As Boating Season Gets Underway

Officer Kristen McFarland checks a jet skier's fishing license

NRP Officer Kristen McFarland checks a jet skier’s fishing license

With the Memorial Day holiday approaching, Maryland Natural Resources Police officers will be stepping up enforcement of state maritime laws as part of National Safe Boating Week, May 16-22. Read more…


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