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Ah, springtime. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and foresters across Maryland are planting trees! Whether it’s through the Maryland Forest Service’s seedling giveaway program Backyard Buffers, or getting students and schools planting through Tree-Mendous, the Forest Service’s mission of getting trees in the ground never stops. With at least 72% of forests Read the Rest…
For more than four decades, the waters of the lower Eastern Shore have had a large protector. The J. Millard Tawes is the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ largest vessel at 100 feet long and 167 tons. The boat was originally commissioned by the United States Coast Guard in 1942 under the name Barberry; the Read the Rest…
Maryland’s infamous invasive fishes — blue catfish, northern snakehead, and flathead catfish — were introduced to bay waters without Maryland Department of Natural Resources authorization. These species now pose an array of potential problems for the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Even with increased fishing pressure, controlling the abundance of invasives after Read the Rest…
Maryland is abundant with natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources that contribute significantly to our economy and quality of life. I have long held that conservation and economic growth need not be at odds with one another, and we are making great strides to that end.
Suburban deer sightings are so common that few of us pay much attention anymore. White-tailed deer are everywhere – along the roadways, throughout our parks, and in our very own backyards. Many people incorrectly presume that these animals belong in the deep woods, and the ones wandering into our neighborhoods are refugees displaced by residential, Read the Rest…
Fall is one of my favorite seasons, a time to enjoy the cooler weather and changing leaves. One thing never changes, though — the stewardship that Maryland citizens show in support of our natural resources. In this edition of our magazine, we feature the work of our 2019 Natural Resources Photo Contest winners, which captures Read the Rest…
I’ve heard full moons referred to as Harvest Moon, Hunter’s Moon, and others – where do these names come from and what do they signify? Jack in Frostburg Nicknames for full moons have an ancient history, and it is closely tied to the cycle of natural resources. In North America, native tribes and later early Read the Rest…
Herby and colorful, chimichurri is a traditional Argentinian sauce. It’s great on venison but can also nicely complement grilled fish, chicken, and beef. Alternatively, use this chimichurri as a marinade and let the venison marinate for a few hours or overnight.
Most people come to western Maryland for the mountains — but Garrett County visitors who venture off the beaten path will find a remarkable and rare treasure tucked between the hills. Cranesville Swamp Preserve is one of the last boreal bogs in the southeastern United States. In this small, bowl-shaped bog, a phenomenon known as Read the Rest…
When Captain Tracy Campbell first joined the Maryland Natural Resources Police in 1995, newly minted officers were assigned to a boat, to which they reported for patrol or response duties.With her assignment in St. Michaels, the Baltimore native quickly felt at home on the Eastern Shore. Those days, officers didn’t have their own state vehicles—or Read the Rest…
One presence has stood tall spreading the word to prevent human-caused wildfires throughout the nation — Smokey Bear. For generations of Americans Smokey Bear and his message of “only you can prevent wildfires” has reminded us of the consequences of being careless with fire outdoors.
My passion for hunting began when I was a young girl, listening raptly to my dad’s bedtime stories about his childhood spent stalking birds with only a slingshot and a pouch of pebbles on his family’s farm.
If you look at a map of the United States, Maryland appears small—so small that depending on the map, you may hardly be able to see it at all. But when you’re here, the land of the Free State is actually quite expansive and diverse. In the 1970s, National Geographic dubbed Maryland, “America in Miniature,” Read the Rest…
Four centuries ago, Captain John Smith discovered the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding region of thick forests, fertile valleys, serene rivers, rolling mountains, lush marshes and sandy beaches. Smith’s view of this “delightsome land” has since been transformed by four centuries of growth and development.
The units that make up today’s Department of Natural Resources mostly date back farther than 1969, many having gone through numerous names and structural changes before and even after becoming part of the department. The earliest version of what is now a Department of Natural Resources function is the Maryland Geological Survey, which originated with Read the Rest…
In terms of wildlife, with many species predating the time humans arrived on the scene, 50 years may not seem like a long time. But as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources celebrates our 50th anniversary this year, we can look back on the Maryland of 1969 and see that significant changes took place. The Read the Rest…
Brooke Landry’s passion for biology started early. “I was a little science geek,” she laughs. Her interest in underwater grasses really picked up as she snorkeled around coral reefs and beds of seagrass on a middle school class trip to Belize. A few undergrad summers spent studying salt marshes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore immersed her Read the Rest…
Fifty years ago, Governor Marvin Mandel replaced the former Board of Natural Resources with the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources and our operations began. As we celebrate this milestone, DNR is proud of the fact that our work is making a difference in every county and community across Maryland.
It seems like a lot of earthquakes have been in the news in recent years. How often does Maryland have earthquakes and why do they happen here? (Lourdes in Baltimore City)
Maryland has changed quite a bit in the past 50 years, but one thing has remained the same: the dedication and hard work of the employees of the Department of Natural Resources. Since its official founding on July 1, 1969, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has conserved, protected and restored the critical areas of Read the Rest…
Calling all reptile and amphibian enthusiasts! The Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas is now available through Johns Hopkins University Press. This collaborative atlas is a result of over 1,000 community scientist volunteers and biologists working together to document distributions of reptiles and amphibians across Maryland. The guide contains over 85 natural history accounts of reptiles Read the Rest…
Turkeys usually conjure images of colorful leaves and crisp fall days, but with the arrival of spring comes the start of turkey hunting in Maryland. The 2019 season begins April 18 and lasts through May 23, with a special youth turkey season scheduled the weekend of April 13-14. Found across Maryland, eastern wild turkey populations Read the Rest…
Marylanders and visitors to our state have many ways to support the natural resources they enjoy. One of the most well-known recently went through a change—the Chesapeake Bay license plate.
Warmer weather is on the way, and it’s a great time to get out and explore Maryland by kayak, canoe or paddleboard. Maryland’s public lands and waters provide some of the best paddling opportunities on the eastern seaboard. Here are some of the top spots in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
Growing up around water in Anne Arundel County, Beth Versak got hooked on aquatic life early. “When I was six, I said to my dad I wanted to go fishing, and so he took me,” Versak says. She never looked back, developing an interest in biology, and she has now spent most of her career Read the Rest…
Every year the Maryland Forest Service, in partnership with the Maryland Forest Conservancy District Boards, sponsors a Poster Contest for fifth grade classes throughout Maryland. The theme this year was “Trees Are Terrific…and Forests Are Too!”
There’s not a lot left at Evart’s homesite, at the top of the mountain that bears the same name: scattered bits of foundation, a cluster of apple trees, an old stone well choked with blueberry bushes. But the things that drew Jacob Evart to the wilderness in the first place—the quiet, the solitude—endure. Up here, Read the Rest…
All over Maryland, streams have been transformed by trees and other plants that have grown up around their channels. Trees are the natural building blocks of healthy streams, gradually forming more sheltered environments in channels previously open to trampling from cattle and muddied by fields cropped up to banks. The benefits of forest buffers continue Read the Rest…
This recipe comes to us from Vicky Mullaney, author of “The Lodge at Black Pearl Cookbook.” Mullaney is a celebrated collaborator with the department’s Becoming An Outdoors-Woman program—eagerly sharing her passion for the sporting life and her field and stream to table sensibilities.
Distinguishing between invasive and non-native species; keeping our Eyes on the Bay.
As a native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, stewardship of our natural resources has always been of personal importance to me. That is why it is such an honor and privilege to address you as Maryland’s 11th secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. I am very grateful for Governor Hogan’s confidence in me and I Read the Rest…
A new year is the ideal time to reflect on the past, take a look around the present and plan for the future. During the winter we can take our cue from nature, as the fresh, brisk air both invigorates us and slows down the pace of life so we can take this pause to Read the Rest…
Get some winter fishing tips and learn about hibernation.
It was a hot, humid afternoon in June 1981, and Patapsco Valley State Park Ranger Paul J. Travers was on duty. On days like that, the heavily wooded park filled with high schoolers from the suburbs between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Ignoring the “no swimming” signs, they would splash into the cool Patapsco River and Read the Rest…
The Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area in Kent County has a brand new home for northern bobwhite thanks to a partnership between the Washington College Center for Environment and Society and the Maryland Park Service. Through the college’s Natural Lands Project, this past year 83 acres of row crops at the management area were converted Read the Rest…
When Eddie Somers was about seven years old, he saw a large boat approaching his native Smith Island. It was the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Barberry, there to remove a navigational beacon. “Boy, that thing looked big to me then,” Somers says. He spent his life surrounded by watercraft and knew he’d work the Read the Rest…
On Oct. 20, 1934 a group of 27 energetic men and women, led by Orville W. Crowder hiked along the Appalachian Trail from Crampton Gap to Weaverton, Pennsylvania. It was the first hike by the Mountain Club of Maryland. The oldest hiking club in Maryland and the premier hiking group in the state is a Read the Rest…
In 1967, a retired Maryland fisheries manager felt compelled to tell the full history of fishing regulation in the Old Line State. Albert Powell wrote a 369-page report with the weighty title and subtitle, “Historical information of Maryland Commission of Fisheries, with some notes on game: Based on Annual Reports, legislative enactments and personal observations; Read the Rest…
Please enjoy the top picks from our annual contest! This year we received over 4,300 photos from 819 participants.
Fall is a great time to enjoy our state’s spectacular and diverse terrain and gain a better understanding of the role it plays in our culture, heritage and living history. Opportunities abound to immerse yourself in the scenic splendor, storied past and bright and prosperous future. In this edition of the Maryland Natural Resource magazine, Read the Rest…
Are you looking for a trail to hike with your pup? Wondering why dam removal is beneficial? Our experts have the answers!
If you look closely at an aerial survey—what scientists call a digital elevation model—of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, you would notice thousands of small, elliptical depressions dotting the landscape like a bad case of chicken pox. The shallow basins are difficult to observe from the ground, and many have been filled in for agricultural use or Read the Rest…
Filing reports? Fetching coffee? What do you think this is—a boring bureaucracy gig? Over the summer, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources welcomed 22 interns in seven units to gain invaluable hands-on experience. Several trips into the field were also arranged for maximum exposure to different areas of expertise, as well as an opportunity to Read the Rest…
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center, which opened in March 2017, has educated hundreds of thousands of guests on the life and legacy of an incredible Maryland leader. Such a place itself requires passionate leadership, which it has clearly found in Assistant Park Manager Ranger Angela Crenshaw.
When English explorer John Smith arrived in what is now Maryland in 1608, he was astounded by the bounty that would later become the lifeblood of its colonization. He noted that there was, “No place more perfect for man’s habitation,” than the Chesapeake Bay. And he was right. The bay and its rivers offered a Read the Rest…
Highly sensitive to habitat and landscape alterations, the most common freshwater mussel species in the state has been absent from the Patapsco River for decades. Fortunately, collaborative efforts between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have resulted in the return of hundreds of mussels to this scenic river, while Read the Rest…
For most Americans, the word “duck” conjures up the image of the quintessential mallard drake, with his green head, yellow beak and classic “quack!” Some Marylanders, however, are much more attached to another bird: the wood duck, or Aix sponsa. The male’s iridescent green crest, scarlet eyes and beak, and speckled chestnut breast make him Read the Rest…
Two low-slung boats glide through the water, heavily armed officers hunkered down inside. They dart to the side of a commercial vessel and within moments, the officers are on board and racing for the bridge. A sweep of the engine room and living quarters ferrets out a man with a knife who has threatened to Read the Rest…
The earliest recorded historical accounts of dolphins were approximately 1600 B.C., where they were found depicted on ancient frescoes in the Palace of Knossos on the Greek Island of Crete. According to author Chris Catton, the image of dolphins rescuing sailors or carrying humans recurs again and again in myth and folklore. “The sculptures, the Read the Rest…
“I love the outdoors,” says Fallon Jones. “I have a 9-year-old son and just being able to get into an industry where I can show him, not only about the environment, but also that mommy does something to help the planet—that’s just a great aspect for me.” Jones is a graduate of Work2Live WELL, a Read the Rest…
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