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The morning was crisp and unusually cool for April; perfect for a morning hunt. As they trekked to their stations, pairs of hunters were enveloped in a darkness intensifying the sounds and smells of the sleeping woods. As the sun began its slow creep into the morning sky, some were greeted by wildlife they had Read the Rest…
We’ve always known the lands, waters and wildlife of Maryland to be unique treasures waiting to be discovered. Now more people are realizing that stewardship and conservation of our natural resources can go hand-in-hand with economic benefits. Recognizing that potential, the Department of Natural Resources works in partnership with the Department of Commerce on efforts to Read the Rest…
Do you know what it takes for land to become a state park? Have you heard about Maryland’s first Climate Leadership Academy? Our experts have the answers!
In this issue, a reader shares a unique experience at Assateague and the department explores new technology.
Maryland is often celebrated as America in Miniature for its widely-varied landscape, which is unusual for such a small state. From the rolling hills of the western panhandle to the tidal creeks of the Eastern Shore to the crashing waves of one of the nation’s finest beaches, Maryland offers something to delight everyone. Among our Read the Rest…
Hot Dogs? Hamburgers? Those are for amateurs! A great outdoor experience can be made much more enjoyable by a simple shift in table fare.
Signs of spring were late to arrive in Maryland this year. Still, as temperatures slowly rose and days lengthened throughout April, leaves grew on trees and plants sprouted into flower. Birds and spring peepers made their presence known through trilling song and chirping call, and insects began to take wing. Later this year, frosty mornings Read the Rest…
In Greek mythology, a nymph emerged from the sea to dance on the shore. Catching a glimpse of Apollo in his golden chariot, she became infatuated and returned every morning to see him break day. The sun god smiled upon her, until his interests turned elsewhere. She sat on a rock for nine days, watching Read the Rest…
There’s a buzz about local woodlands. The Maryland Forest Service is taking part in Feed a Bee, a national program to increase food sources for pollinators by planting wildflowers and establishing additional forage acreage across the nation.
After 33 years with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, John Wilson considers himself “the old man” of land planning. He came on board in 1985 fresh from the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program. He began writing plans for state parks. His first project was to develop a plan for the south cell of Read the Rest…
A new public access site on Wye Island in Queen Anne’s County opens the scenic island to new recreational opportunities. With support from outdoor gear manufacturer REI Co-op, whose generous funding matched a grant from the Maryland State Highway Administration’s National Recreational Trails Program, the Chesapeake Conservancy successfully completed the installation of a new canoe and Read the Rest…
With darkness approaching and the numbing cold of the Chesapeake Bay invading his bones, Sean Danielson knew his chances of seeing another dawn were slim. Bobbing in the bay next to his swamped kayak, his eyes swept the horizon. Freighters on their way to Baltimore were too far away to hail and the pleasure boats Read the Rest…
As a coastal fisheries biologist in Ocean City, I frequently receive a text or an email asking, “What is this fish?” They typically come from a recreational angler or fellow scientist who has come across something beyond their experience or expertise.
From the rugged Allegheny Mountains to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to the mid-Atlantic canyons, Maryland has it all for sportsmen and women. Whether you’re a novice going on your first trip or a seasoned sportsman on a getaway with some buddies, you’ll find what you’re after right here. Start planning today with one Read the Rest…
Rockhounding: it’s a passion shared by amateur geologists who hunt for and collect rocks and minerals out in the wild for their study and enjoyment. It’s a hobby anyone can begin simply by exploring within their own backyard, then expanding to the neighborhood and beyond. To get started, you’ll need some tools: a rock hammer Read the Rest…
I’m proud to help commemorate an important milestone in Maryland history—150 years since the founding of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. The department is our first state law enforcement agency, predating the Maryland State Police by almost a half-century, and is also one of the oldest conservation law enforcement organizations in the nation.
Spring is an exciting time for those of us who are passionate about the great outdoors. For many, the longer days and warmer weather leads us to adventure out onto the water, particularly the Chesapeake Bay. In this edition of the Maryland Natural Resource, you can find a promising progress report from our partners at Read the Rest…
Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the oldest statewide law enforcement agency in Maryland and the fourth oldest conservation law enforcement agency in the country. It traces its origins to the Maryland Oyster Police Force, founded in 1868 with the appointment of its first commander, Hunter Davidson.
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.
Ever wonder why the state stocks trout? Confused about the timing of Arbor Day? Our experts have the answers!
Among the many wild animals that roam our farms, fields and forests, there is one native midsize carnivore that goes largely unnoticed: the bobcat. In fact, the bobcat is the only wild member of the cat family found in Maryland.
Black bass fishing is synonymous with both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Its popularity in the late 20th century exploded into a multimillion dollar competitive sport, spawning professional fishing tournaments not just here in Maryland, but around the world.
Like a sunrise or spring’s return, the Chesapeake Bay is something Marylanders may be guilty of taking for granted. Those steel-blue waters and fiery sunsets astonish millions of visitors each year, but for Free State residents, living alongside North America’s largest estuary is old hat. Which isn’t to say we don’t love the bay. It’s Read the Rest…
Progress. It’s a word with many definitions, including, “A forward or onward movement toward an objective or goal.” At the Chesapeake Bay Program, progress is measured in the 10 goals of our Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. When our partnership—consisting of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay Read the Rest…
Change is coming. The question is, will it be a change that moves the nation’s largest estuary closer to restoration, or further from it? This Chesapeake Bay Week, April 22-28, Maryland Public Television broadcasts several programs that expose issues important for everyone who lives in the watershed.
A Baltimore City native, Kerry was always outside as a child. When she got on her first bicycle, she was off to Herring Run Park—exploring, investigating, listening—curious about the natural world within the city.
Maryland is abundant with natural, cultural, historical and recreational resources that contribute significantly to our economy and quality of life. My administration is committed to doing everything we can to expand opportunities for our citizens and visitors to appreciate all that our state has to offer, and to create and grow economic opportunities for all Read the Rest…
For the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, winter is anything but the “offseason.” Our state offers a wide range of outdoor recreation for all seasons. In this edition of the Maryland Natural Resource, our experts discuss some true winter activities: snowmobiling and ice-fishing. These sound like things you hear about in the frozen north, but Read the Rest…
Maryland boasts plenty of outdoor winter activities! Our experts offer tips on how to stay safe while ice fishing and snowmobiling.
This edition’s recipe is a Dorchester County specialty.
The call comes in late in the afternoon, as the park office is about to close for the day. On the other end of the line, a frantic mother exclaims that her son is hours past his expected arrival home from his routine hike through New Germany State Park. The park ranger on duty takes Read the Rest…
Kentucky has Daniel Boone. Davy Crockett was born on a mountaintop in Tennessee. Thanks to the literary ability of Meshach (pronounced MEE-shak) Browning, Maryland has its own early-American frontier legend, whose tales have captivated audiences for 158 years. Today, the famous rifle of our state’s most celebrated hunter is among early American items displayed in Read the Rest…
Each year, millions of visitors from throughout the United States come to enjoy the famous beach in Ocean City, Maryland. Most have no idea that the prime attraction of this tourism hot spot is actually a project engineered to protect the city from powerful coastal storms and hurricanes.
Aldo Leopold, a well-known environmental ethicist, once penned, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” Since conservation is at the very core of our charge here at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, we are required to have a profound understanding of our ever-changing natural world and the impact of mankind upon Read the Rest…
Vulnerable, yet often still powerful, injured birds of prey pose many challenges to would-be rescuers. Whether it is a struggling bald eagle whose water-logged feathers prevent it from lifting off from a river or an osprey left dazed after flying into a plate-glass window, raptors are great forces of nature, capable of striking with formidable Read the Rest…
If you are like most Marylanders, you probably already have a general understanding of recycling and why it is important. Charged with protecting the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland’s population is particularly engaged in environmental issues. It is no surprise, then, that recycling has increasingly become the norm here, with recycling rates climbing from less than 20 Read the Rest…
Please enjoy scrolling through the top picks from our annual contest.; this year’s pool included approximately 1,500 photos from 295 participants.
When Kim Hernandez moved to the East Coast after graduating from the University of Kansas, she became known among her Atlantic coast peers as “the girl from Kansas who’s going to save the oceans.” Although she grew up in the landlocked Midwest, Hernandez wasn’t isolated from the water. She frequented the Gulf of Mexico while Read the Rest…
It seems almost foolish to try and introduce the common raven. Our comprehension is nearly automatic, innate even. But why?
Using materials I had at home, I skipped the costume shop last Halloween and floated through the holiday as a jellyfish. There’s no shortage of spirit and creativity among natural resources staffers this time of year, either. Below I’ll share how I made my outfit from scratch, and show you what some colleagues came up Read the Rest…
By day, Maryland State Parks are showing off their vibrant views and welcoming visitors with every cozy comfort the season brings. Cabin stays, harvest crafts, hayrides, pumpkin patches, warm cider. We’ll get to that with the next article, but first, let’s take a look at what some of our parks are up to when the Read the Rest…
After the candy is eaten and the costumes are put away, our focus shifts to our natural world’s final glorious display of the year. It’s official. It’s autumn in Maryland. Living in the Old Line State, you know how lucky we are. Although small geographically, the landscape is quite diverse and complex, often referred to Read the Rest…
From their unique mating rituals to their importance for biomedical research, spiders are fascinating yet highly misunderstood creatures.
When the phone rings at the Maryland Natural Resources Police communications center, a dispatcher has no idea whether it is a boater’s cry for help or a homeowner with a frog in their bathtub.
Ask any fisherman what the largest freshwater impoundment in the state is, and most will confidently say Deep Creek Lake. It’s a good guess—the man-made Western Maryland lake does span 3,900 acres—but not entirely correct. Deep Creek Lake is the largest impoundment fully within Maryland. However, from a fishing access perspective, the Conowingo Reservoir on Read the Rest…
Once the Federation Equestrian Internationale gives its stamp of approval this fall, one of the world’s great equestrian competitions is going to be calling Maryland—more specifically the 5,600-acre Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area—its permanent home.
From an ice cream shop that hands out small samples to an auto dealership that has a weekend loaner program, introductory offers have long been used to entice potential shoppers to try a product. In order to build a relationship with an un-tapped customer base, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is rolling out a Read the Rest…
Two decades ago, staff of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources connected with our customers through letters, the occasional television or radio story, phone calls, and articles in newspapers that were published from press releases we physically mailed out. Fax machines, landline phones, single reflex cameras and typewriters were the communications tools of the day. Read the Rest…
Employees of the Maryland Forest Service perform many roles. Some plant trees, some manage their harvest, some inspect properties. Some even battle wildland fires and educate the public about fire safety. Leading this operation is Fire Supervisor Monte Mitchell. As part of my internship, I sat down with him to ask how it all works.
A staple in our quarterly magazine, fall’s recipe is sure to make mouths water.
