Maryland submits Chesapeake Bay clean-up plan

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland has developed a comprehensive plan for the next steps in continued progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan — submitted on Friday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — was developed to meet Maryland’s pollution reduction targets by 2025 as part of a multi-state bay restoration effort. Maryland developed the plan […]

Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses show resilience despite record rainfall

NOTTINGHAM, MD – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported this week that Chesapeake Bay underwater grass abundance fared better than expected in 2018, despite extreme rainfall causing a spike in nutrients and sediments. An estimated 50,015 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Baywide, about 91,559 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in […]

Parking to be prohibited along Belair Road near Gunpowder Falls State Park

PERRY HALL, MD – Due to safety concerns along Belair Road within the Gunpowder Falls State Park – Central Area, parking will be prohibited near the State Park entrance beginning Wednesday, July 3, 2019. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will post “No Parking” signs along US 1 between Miller Road and Mount Vista Road, and […]

2019 report shows 60 percent increase in blue crab population

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The annual Blue Crab Advisory Report, released Tuesday by the Chesapeake Bay Program and developed by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, finds that the overall Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is not depleted and is not being over-fished. The blue crab population in the bay increased nearly 60 percent from 372 million in 2018 to 594 million in […]

Operation DryWater underway to keep boaters sober

BALTIMORE, MD – Aiming to keep local waterways safe this holiday weekend, Maryland Natural Resources Police will again join the nationwide effort by local, state, and federal agencies in the tenth annual Operation DryWater. Officers will be on the water providing heightened enforcement and awareness about the dangers of drinking while boating. Boating under the influence continues to be a leading […]

Dwarf sundew, species of carnivorous plant, found in Maryland

NOTTINGHAM, MD – Botanists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy recently confirmed the discovery of a new plant species in Maryland – the dwarf sundew (Drosera brevifolia). Local volunteer botanist Chase Howard discovered and reported the plant growing in open areas with wet, peaty sand in Worcester County. This is the first record of this […]