Did you know? More than 3,000 plants species—including an amazing number of wildflowers, from mysterious orchids to carnivorous plants and everything in between—call Maryland home. Much of that diversity results from animal pollinators, which account for nearly 80 percent of pollination around the world.
The blue crab embodies a unique life experience for aquatic animals in the Chesapeake Bay. Unlike finfish, this invertebrate has a hard exoskeleton and must molt, or shed, its shell in order to grow. As you can imagine, this process puts the crab in a vulnerable situation as it loses its protective hard shell and Read the Rest…
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 Read the Rest…
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.
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.
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 Read the Rest…
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 Read the Rest…
For the past five years, we at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and Patuxent River Park have hosted a high school camping and canoeing experience. With the hope of meeting a need for leadership-focused environmental youth, we created two, week-long paddle boat trips for high school students. Our goal: to Read the Rest…
This year marks the 30th anniversary of several interesting American events: the release of the movies The Goonies and Back to the Future, the launch of CNN’s Larry King Live, and the first registered .com, for example. Here at the Department of Natural Resources, we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the Read the Rest…
From the time they clip a black-and-white “recruit” nameplate to their tan shirts until the moment the gold badge of a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer is pinned to their dress uniform, the 22 members of Basic Recruit Class 57 will have their minds and muscles tested as never before. This year’s class of four Read the Rest…
In 2008, a deadly combination of pollution, habitat loss, lack of prey and overabundance of predators depleted the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population. The U.S. Department of Commerce declared the fishery a state of disaster. Maryland watermen were down on their luck and the economy was hit hard, prompting the state to request $30 million Read the Rest…
Each year, more than one million visitors cross the Verrazano Bridge to the narrow strip of barrier island known as Assateague State Park. There they join a myriad of wildlife, including the island’s famous wild horses and elusive sika deer. Birds abound throughout the year in the marshes and on the beaches. Just offshore in Read the Rest…
If someone asks you to envision what a typical hunter looks like, the first image that comes to most peoples’ mind is that of a man in the woods decked out in camouflage with a shotgun poised for the hunt. Why not a woman? I’m a woman and I still picture a man with a Read the Rest…
On a large plot of land on the Patapsco River in northeastern Anne Arundel County, it is quiet. The only sounds are from the wind rustling the trees and a family of ducks swimming alone in the water. In the distance, an excavator revs up and, nearby, a towering red crane on a water barge Read the Rest…
The sun rose high above the Choptank River, a typical day on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Watermen were already afloat when the City of Cambridge opened the doors to its festival hall at Sailwinds Park. More than 100 individuals representing boaters, watermen, businesses, concerned citizens, non-profit organizations, academics, local planners, and state and federal partners made Read the Rest…
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