Natural Resources News
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Officers of the Maryland Natural Resources Police arrested one man on drug charges and charged two other men with deer poaching in incidents in Worcester and Harford counties.
Major Conservation Legislation Passed by Congress Will Have Local Benefits
Photo by Chuck Aaron
The Maryland Environmental Trust praises a bipartisan congressional vote that makes permanent a federal tax incentive supporting land conservation. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
A Thurmont man has been charged with illegal hunting activities at Cunningham Falls State Park this fall by the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Read more…
First Portion of Maryland’s Wildlife Action Plan Open for Public Comment
Department of Natural Resources Seeks Public Input
Red knot birds by Greg Breese
The Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on the first portion of Maryland’s draft State Wildlife Action Plan. This first section focuses on threatened wildlife species and their habitat. Read more…
Design the next Black Bear and Migratory Game Bird Stamp
Contests Now Open
“Autumn Morning” by Steve Oliver, New Castle County, DE
Waterfowl and wildlife artists are invited to submit their original artwork for the 20th annual Maryland Black Bear Conservation and 42nd annual Migratory Game Bird stamp design contests now through April 15. The Department of Natural Resources will judge the entries on April 22 in conjunction with the annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City.
Two Anglers Rescued from Potomac River
Natural Resources Police Warns of Cold-Water Dangers
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…
Fifth-Graders Encouraged to Show Appreciation for Trees through Art
Last year’s First Place Overall by Jenny Ha from Washington Co.
Top posters will win tree plantings at their school
Calling fifth-graders across Maryland! The Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Maryland Forest Conservancy District Boards, is sponsoring an Arbor Day poster contest, Trees Are Terrific….in Cities and Towns! Read more…
Trail-blazing: Expanding the paths of Garrett County
Swallow Falls State Park; by Ink Byers
Trails are changing the face of Western Maryland. Towns such as Hancock, Cumberland, McHenry and Oakland are part of a trail expansion initiative that is pumping revenue into local coffers and making the area a world-class destination for hikers and bikers alike. Read more…
Talkin’ Turkey: A wildlife success story
Turkeys in Cambridge; by Lori Bramble
You want to talk turkey? Talk to Frank Ryan.
The Reisterstown resident has seen them at their lowest point, when the state’s wild turkey population hovered near 2,000. And he’s watched with pride as their numbers puffed up like a tom in full strut to about 35,000 birds. Read more…
The Secret Saw-Whet: Hiding in plain sight
Juvenile saw-whet owls; by Sam May
The northern saw-whet owl disappears simply by not moving. Flapping its wings would give it away. So, it remains motionless—a behavior developed through the ages—rather than fleeing from danger, using its neutral colors and physiology as natural camouflage.
While relatively rare in Maryland, they are common but seldom-observed birds found across North America, from southern Alaska through the central provinces of Canada to the Atlantic Coast and south in the Appalachians to the Great Smoky Mountains. Yet it is only by chance that a practiced observer spots one.
Saw-whet painting; by John Taylor
A hooter’s home
The preferred nesting habitat of the saw-whet owl is heavy coniferous forest, usually where it is wet and swampy. During migration and in the winter, it may be found in deciduous woods, but retains a decided preference for evergreens and thick brushy tangles of vegetation.
Because of its preference for northern forest habitats, it breeds only in Western Maryland counties such as Garrett, using natural cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes. It does not build a nest, but lays its eggs in the chips or debris on the floor of the cavity.
The plumage of the young bird is quite different than that of its parents. It has unmarked cinnamon-orange breasts and chocolate brown on the head and neck. A white “V” decorates its forehead.
Roaming research
The saw-whet has a strong migratory instinct, which has been well documented across the northeast. In October and November, exceptionally large flights take place along the Great Lakes and in the Delaware Valley. In Maryland, the owls regularly winter in the forests of the Eastern Shore and on Assateague Island.
At concentration points, department staff and volunteers who are passionate about studying the migration of the owls have established banding stations. Here, the birds are fitted with numbered leg bands. Much can be learned about its habits and wanderings. Of special interest was the capture of a saw-whet owl, originally banded in California in 2008. It caused many to wonder, what prompted this tiny nomad to fly such a distance in the wrong direction? The answer hopefully lies in continued research.
| Founded in 1994, Project Owlnet started as an effort to link owl researchers in North America. It facilitates communication, cooperation and innovation among a rapidly growing network of hundreds of owl-migration researchers in the U.S. and abroad. The project was the brainchild of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Ecologist Dave Brinker. |
“When we started Project Owlnet 25 years ago, we had very little information on the saw-whet owl,” Maryland Natural Resource Ecologist Dave Brinker says. “We started with about ten banding stations and now have 125 stations across the country. Since our start in 1985, volunteers have banded more than 10,000 saw-whet owls in Maryland alone and 217,434 across the country.”
“A lot of people didn’t understand the impetus for the project—they didn’t realize the magnitude of the saw-whet population,” Brinker says. “We really surprised them. It has turned this little known owl that people seldom see into the most banded owl in North America.”
Branding the bird
The etymology of the word “saw-whet” has led to a tangle of confusing rhetoric. Ever since the days of famed ornithologist John James Audubon, reams have been written to explain how the call of the owl sounds like the whetting, or sharpening, of a saw.
The saw-whet owl may have been named for giving a call that sounds like a saw being sharpened on a whetting stone, but there is no consensus as to which of its several calls gave rise to the name. Many do not think the owl ever sounded anything like a saw being whetted. What this owl does sound like is a “toot.” The same note, monotonously repeated, all on the same pitch.
It was apparently Audubon who first used the name “saw-whet.” He did not name it as such, but noted in his Bird Biographies (1839) that in Massachusetts the bird is known as “saw-whet.” He then goes on to describe in detail the similarity of the owl’s call to the sharpening of a saw.
Now, after 150 years, a more plausible explanation for the name “saw-whet” has been advanced. It could be called the French Connection. In France and in the French parts of Canada, the word for owl is “la chouette.” An Anglicized pronunciation would certainly sound like “saw-whet.” Further, if one considers that many French Canadians use an “s” sound for the initial “ch,” the derivation becomes more likely.
It seems puzzling that Audubon, who is of French descent and who travelled much of Canada and New England, did not notice the use of the word “chouette” by the people there.
It is one of many mysteries surrounding this stealthy little owl.
Article by John Taylor—local artist and wildlife enthusiast.
Appears in Vol. 19, No. 1 of the Maryland Natural Resource magazine, winter 2016.
Through an Educator’s Eyes: Explore and Restore Maryland Streams
Investigating microhabitats; department photo
Modeling practices used by Department of Natural Resources scientists, adventurous teachers and their inspired students have been heading out of the classroom to monitor streams across the state. Their mission: to determine the health and conditions of waterways near their schools.
Conducted through the Explore and Restore Maryland Streams program, department biologists host one-day professional development workshops on a range of topics: stream ecology, how land use influences streams and which animals call these ecosystems home. They prepare teachers to facilitate biological, chemical and physical assessments, allowing them to grow their content knowledge as well as their confidence working in outdoor environments.
| Explore and Restore started in 2012 as a partnership between environmental educators and scientists to connect students with streams. The collaboration led to the development of a workshop and accompanying resources that show teachers how to use streams as a living laboratory. The program is expanding through funding provided to partners to work with additional schools statewide.
Since its onset, the program has reached more than 150 schools and 283 teachers in 22 counties and Baltimore City. Educators at 77 schools are slated to receive training throughout the 2015-2016 academic year, with a reach of more than 12,000 students. |
A teacher’s tale
Suzanne Hughes—a recent workshop participant—from Reservoir High School in Howard County raves over the Explore and Restore Maryland Streams program.
“It’s always nice to attend meetings for professional development and actually get out and do something meaningful that the students are going to use and find helpful,” Hughes says.
Teachers learn how to measure and monitor storm impact; department photo
The program uses the diversity of life within a stream—fish, salamanders, macro invertebrates—as an indication of its health. Students use current scientific practices to arrive at a conclusive water quality assessment, and ultimately use their findings to take appropriate action to improve the stream’s health.
Hughes and others in the workshop found they didn’t need a lot of high tech equipment or resources to incorporate most of the activities into the classroom or lead students through investigations of nearby streams.
“Through Explore and Restore, the students gain a deeper appreciation for their surroundings,” Hughes says. “When you get them to turn off the TV and go outside without their phones for a couple of hours, it makes a huge difference in how they see everything around them.”
Taking the classroom outside
Hughes found that through these outdoor experiences her students got a chance to engage and connect with concepts discussed in the classroom. After students investigate and analyze their data, they are asked to propose and implement an action plan to improve the conditions: perhaps building a rain garden or developing a plan for community outreach.
Students gather and collect data; department photo
“You can do a lab, but it doesn’t really connect with anything beyond the classroom,” Hughes says. “This experience links everything together for the kids—they aren’t looking at disjointed pieces. It’s wonderful to see everything fall into place for them.”
An added bonus for teachers, students love the experience and exposure to nature. Even if they aren’t excited in the beginning of the project, they eventually get keyed up.
“I’ve had students say ‘I’m not touching any bugs!’ and yet, they can’t not do it,” Hughes says. “They’re wading in the water, even in cold water. They’re picking up leaves and rocks, trying to find something…trying to find more than the next person. I’ve had kids look around introspectively and say ‘Jeez, it’s really beautiful out here,’ as if they just had never thought about it before.”
Students gather and collect data; department photo
Empowering students
In the wake of such a practical lesson, students take away a new appreciation for how important it is to tread lightly in the environment—to be more conscious of what they put down a storm drain, to think about where trash ends up, to recycle.
“The biggest takeaway for students that I can see is an understanding that what they do has an impact on a lot of other things,” Hughes says. “When they throw trash on the ground, for example, it’s not just a stand-alone event when everybody else does the same thing. They get a better grasp for the impact of many actions that might occur on a daily basis and they start to realize change can start with them.”
Hughes has even given other teachers within her school some tools to use with their students to introduce some program concepts. Her fellow educators have introduced their own students to water monitoring, reinforcing how the health of the stream impacts the fate of the Chesapeake Bay and, equally, how everyone effects the environment.
“I would recommend this program to any teacher,” Hughes concludes. “I plan to use my training for years to come and I’m confident that it will continue to have a big impact on my students: the future of Maryland.”
Article by Amanda Sullivan—Chesapeake & Coastal Service streams education coordinator.
Appears in Vol. 19, No. 1 of the Maryland Natural Resource magazine, winter 2016.
Grants Available for Communities to Address Impacts of Storm Events, Flooding and Sea Level Rise
Smith Island by Lindsay Ringgold
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is providing Community Resiliency Grants to local governments to prepare for weather-related hazards, including flooding, storm events and sea level rise. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
A Mount Airy man was charged last Friday morning with illegal hunting by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
Martin Luther Tressler, 55, received citations for having a loaded weapon in a vehicle and hunting without a license. Read more…
More than 31,000 Deer Harvested During Maryland Firearm Season
Maryland hunters reported taking 31,390 deer during the popular two-week deer firearm season. Despite mild weather across the state, rain on key hunting days resulted in an eight percent decline in harvest compared to last season. More than 3,200 deer were taken on the Sunday hunting days. Read more…
Baltimore Man Indicted in Double-Fatal Boating Accident
The operator of a recreational boat that slammed into a protective pillar at the Key Bridge and then Fort Carroll last summer, killing two women, has been indicted by a Baltimore County grand jury. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Charges Impaired Boater, Deer Poachers, Felon with a Gun
An intoxicated Va. man ran his vessel aground in St. Mary’s County
An intoxicated boater who ran his vessel aground, a felon in possession of firearms, and cases of deer poaching were recently handled by the officers of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Read more…
Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Natural Resources Police officers in western Maryland handled hunting and drug possession violations this week while officers on the Eastern Shore charged four watermen with oyster poaching. Read more…
Maryland Awarded $32,000 Grant for Monarch Butterfly Conservation
Monarch Butterfly by Mary Rabadan
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Maryland Department of Natural Resources $32,000 from the Northeast Monarch Grants to States to support butterfly conservation and habitat restoration projects. Read more…
First Day Hikes in America’s State Parks Offer Invigorating Start to the New Year
Hashtag Your Hike: #FirstDayHikes
Make a New Year’s resolution to your health and happiness by kicking off 2016 with an invigorating First Day Hike at a state park near you. On January 1, all 50 states will be participating in the fifth annual national event that encourages everyone to celebrate the New Year with a guided outdoor exploration. Read more…
Muzzleloader Deer Season to Reopen December 19
The second portion of Maryland’s muzzleloader deer season begins on Saturday, Dec.19 and runs through Jan. 2, 2016. Hunters who possess a valid hunting license and a Muzzleloader Stamp, or those exempt from the hunting license requirements, may use muzzleloading firearms to hunt white-tailed and sika deer during this season.
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers are investigating a hunting accident in Charles County and charged an illegal trapper in Carroll County in cases on Monday. Read more…
Grants Available to Reduce Runoff in Maryland
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking proposals from local governments and non-governmental organizations that will help reduce stormwater runoff in targeted areas. Funding will be awarded to the most effective projects through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund.
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Two men were charged over the weekend with hunting violations on the Eastern Shore by officers of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Read more…
Inaugural Working Waterfront Enhancement Grant Recipients Selected
Natural Resources Police Arrests Impaired Boater, Charges Three Hunters
An intoxicated boater on the Chesapeake Bay was arrested and three illegal hunters were charged by Maryland Natural Resources Police officers after separate incidents in southern Maryland. Read more…
62 Acres of Kent County Farmland Permanently Protected
St. Brigid’s Farm
A new conservation easement permanently protected 62 acres of important farmland in Kennedyville from development. The Fry Gifford family gifted the conservation easement on St. Brigid’s Farm to the Maryland Environmental Trust and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. Read more…
Family-Owned Baltimore County Marina Certified as Clean Marina
Charlie Gast and his daughter, Mary Carol Jacob, proudly display their Maryland Clean Marina Certificate
Chrismar Marina, a new, 38-slip docking facility at the head of the Middle River in Essex, has been certified a Maryland Clean Marina for meeting high environmental standards established by the Department of Natural Resources. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Keith Eric Thomas
A waterman already prohibited from harvesting wild oysters was charged Wednesday with violating that order by Maryland Natural Resources Police. Read more…
Two Men Charged in Serious Jet Ski Accident on Middle River
Two Baltimore County men have been charged by the Maryland Natural Resources Police in connection with an alcohol- and drug-fueled jet ski accident in September that injured two people. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Officers Pounce on Poachers
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers charged poachers in Queen Anne’s and Somerset counties with fishing violations in recent cases. Read more…
Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Officers Seized an illegally harvested nine-point buck
Natural Resources Police officers charged deer poachers and rescued a lost hunter during the opening weekend of firearm deer season. Read more…
Maryland State Park Ranger Honored for Service and Volunteerism
(L to R) Steve McAdams, Executive Director, Gov. Office of Community Initiatives; Bill Basil, Executive Director, National Service Corporation; Ranger Chris Gleason-Smuck; First Lady Yumi Hogan. Photo credit Joe Andrucyk
The Governor’s Office of Service and Volunteerism recognized Maryland State Park Ranger Chris Gleason-Smuck for his exemplary public service. In addition to his state responsibilities, Gleason-Smuck volunteers many hours of his free time to his local fire and rescue departments. Read more…
St. Mary’s Waterman has Oyster License Permanently Revoked
A St. Mary’s County waterman had his commercial license permanently revoked by a district court judge after a hearing on multiple poaching charges. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers charged poachers in Queen Anne’s and Washington counties with fishing and hunting violations and arrested a felon with multiple firearms in Frederick County in recent cases.
Read more…
Firearm Deer-Hunting Season to Open in Maryland
Photo from FWS.gov
Two-Week Season Runs November 28 to December 12
The two-week firearm deer season opens Nov. 28 and runs through Dec. 12. Hunters who possess a valid Maryland hunting license or are exempt from license requirements may use firearms to harvest sika and white-tailed deer during this season.
Berlin Angler Sets Maryland Coastal White Perch Record
On November 17, Finn McCabe from Berlin pulled in a record-setting 1.2-pound, 13-inch white perch from Ayers Creek as the sun began to set over the Route 376 Bridge west of Sinepuxent Bay and Assateague Island.
Improving the Annapolis Edge
When the staff of the Annapolis Maritime Museum noticed water lapping against their building’s foundation, they knew it was time to make some changes. Located at the mouth of Back Creek and the Chesapeake Bay, the museum’s shore is vulnerable to the effect of powerful storms and sea-level rise.
Through a partnership with Maryland Department of Natural Resources, its Maryland Conservation Corps, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the museum launched a living shorelines project to halt the erosion. The $90,000 project was announced at an event held on Monday, Nov. 16, which included representatives from the partner organizations as well as Annapolis City Mayor Mike Pantelides.
Western Maryland Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation named Wildlife Conservationist of the Year
(L to R): Bobby Boarman, Pres. of State NWTF; Roger Griffin, Committee Member of Chapter; Brian Friend, Pres. of Chapter; Paul Peditto, Director WHS; Clarissa Harris, Regional Wildlife Response Coordinator; Shawn Weddle, Regional Director NWTF
The Wildlife Advisory Commission named the Western Maryland Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation its Maryland Wildlife Conservationist of the Year for 2014. The group was recognized for their continuing work regarding hunter recruitment, youth mentoring opportunities and wildlife conservation. Read more…
Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers charged three hunters for wildlife violations and one man for unauthorized driving on state land in incidents that occurred in Frederick, Allegany and Harford counties. Read more…
Canada Goose Hunting Season to Open in Maryland
Maryland’s migratory Atlantic Population Canada goose hunting season runs from Nov. 21 through Nov. 27, and again from Dec. 15 through Feb. 3, 2016.
23,000 Deer Harvested in Maryland during Early Hunting Season
Turkey Harvest Declines 13 Percent from Last Year
Maryland hunters harvested more deer during early hunting season compared to this time last year. Department of Natural Resources biologists attribute the increased harvest to a scarcity of acorns across most of the state, causing deer to move more in search of food. Read more…
Three-Day Goose Hunting Season to Open at Deep Creek Lake
A new hunting opportunity on Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County will allow hunters to harvest geese at one of three open water sites on Nov. 23, 24 and 25, 2015. Goose hunting on Deep Creek Lake is by permit and reservation only during these select days of the season. Read more…
Maryland Park Service Graduates 24 New Park Rangers
Secretary Mark Belton addressing 24 new rangers
Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton addressed 24 new rangers who graduated from the month-long Maryland Park Ranger School at a ceremony at New Germany State Park in Grantsville. Comprised of both new and veteran state park employees, the graduates have devoted themselves to protecting the state’s historic and natural resources. Read more…
Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
The Maryland Natural Resources Police charged hunters in Frederick and Allegany counties last weekend with wildlife violations.
On Saturday, two Cumberland residents received citations for poaching deer by an officer responding to a complaint of shots fired near the intersection of West Flintstone Creek Road and Benson Farm Lane. Read more…
Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail Inducted into Rail-Trail Hall of Fame
Slated to become a part of the Grand History Trail linking Maryland, Pennsylvania and D.C.
Monkton Train Station
The Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail earned the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s highest award today at a ceremony in York, Pa., when it was inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame along with its connecting Pennsylvania counterpart, the Heritage Rail Trail County Park.
Out of more than 1,900 trails in the rail trail network nationwide, only 29 hold this title. Read more…
Somerset County Farmland Protected
Maryland Environmental Trust Conserves 30 Acres
A new conservation easement totaling 30.2 acres will permanently protect important farmland in Westover, located in Somerset County. Landowner Frederick Howard donated the easement to the Maryland Environmental Trust to safeguard its resources and his family’s legacy. Read more…
Two Junior Deer Hunt Days Set for November
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources encourages experienced deer hunters to introduce youth to this time-honored tradition during two Junior Deer Hunt Days: Nov. 14 on public and private land in all counties; and Nov. 15 on private land in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties. In Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, the junior deer hunt is open on Nov. 15 on private and designated public lands. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers charged hunters and anglers in Baltimore, Allegany and Talbot counties with poaching in recent cases. Read more…
Natural Resources Police Blotter
The Maryland Natural Resources Police charged a crab poacher in Queen Anne’s County and two illegal deer hunters in Allegany County in recent cases. Read more…
Dead Manatee Found at Assateague Island National Seashore
Photo from the National Park Service
A manatee carcass was discovered last week at Assateague Island National Seashore near the Maryland-Virginia border and is currently undergoing examination to determine the cause of death.