July 13, 2026

State Tree Nursery Taking Orders for 2026 Planting

Seedlings

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources online tree seedling catalog is now open and accepting orders for spring 2026 planting at nursery.dnr.maryland.gov.

Maryland DNR Says Take a Hike

Hike

Maryland State Parks once again will offer numerous First Day Hikes across the state on January 1, 2026. There will be something for everyone, including ranger-guided hikes and self-guided adventures.

DNR Finds Chessie? Nope. But It Is a Monster Sturgeon

Chessie

Maryland Department of Natural Resources surveyors thought they might have found Chessie. But is turns out they caught the largest female sturgeon in the survey’s history.

MD’s Tern Raft Celebrates 5 Successful Years of Hosting Nesting Waterbirds

Tern Raft

Maryland’s tern raft hosted hundreds of terns again this year—including nesting pairs of two different state-listed-endangered species—and saw more than 350 tern chicks fledge during the island habitat’s fifth year in operation.

Finding Fossils at a Public Park Near You

Fossils

Fossils and shark teeth are uncovered where the Chesapeake Bay meets the banks of Maryland’s waterfront locales – most commonly in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties – but also found anywhere turbulent water is present.

Angler’s Prize Catches Made Day Apart

Prize

James Frazetti Jr. has been recognized with a state record for a pompano dolphinfish and also as a recipient of a FishMaryland Master Angler Award.

DNR: Visualizing Climate Change Solutions at Point Lookout

Point Lookout

A series of projects by landscape architecture students at the University of Maryland, College Park use virtual reality to visualize climate change at Point Lookout State Park, as well as possible adaptations to shifting conditions.

DNR Photo Contest Winners Announced

Photo Contest

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has chosen the winners of the annual Maryland Natural Resource Photo Contest.

2 Earn FishMaryland Master Angler Awards

FishMaryland

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has recognized Jesse Black of Kingwood, WV, and Canden Michalski of North East for catching 10 different species of fish at trophy size to reach the FishMaryland Master Angler milestone.

Keep MD Beautiful Grant Deadline Dec. 1

The Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants program is accepting applications until December 1, 2025. The program awards grants to help volunteer groups, nonprofits, communities, and land trusts in the state support environmental education projects.