Time Sensitive Announcement: Arbor Day Posters Due Noon, January 20th

For those who missed the press release about the invitation to submit the 2023 Arbor Day Posters: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Forest Conservancy District Boards invite all Maryland fifth graders in private and public schools to participate in the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest. The theme for 2023 is: “Trees Are Terrific…and …

Articles of Interest

FALLEN LEAVES: A TREE’S GIFT TO THE STREAM, December 2, 2022 This article in  Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay discusses the many ways in which the decay of fallen leaves on the ground and in water benefits our wildlife, the ground, and our water sources. Click on the link to read this interesting article. Upstate New …

About Trees

Trees are on our minds this season. These links lead to good tree news and bad.  Baltimore County 2023 Christmas Tree Pick Up starts Monday, January 9th Evergreen Trees for Birds, The Spruce.Com Urban Forest’s water retention, infiltration, and transpiration, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Oak Trees Are Dying at Record Rates Across Chesapeake …

Baltimore County Forestry Board Annual Workshop Day: March 18, 2023

The Baltimore County Forestry Board (BCFB) is excited to bring back our annual March Environmental Workshops. Our last annual workshop, entitled "Native Species & the Web of Life,” was canceled in 2020. We have rescheduled a similar workshop day with updated information on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Oregon Ridge Lodge in the Oregon …

Holiday Open House with Birds of Prey! 12-3 from 11AM to 2 PM

Meet the staff of the Phoenix Wildlife Center, including Kathy Woods, and their birds of prey at Wild Birds Unlimited in Timonium on Saturday, December 3 from 11 AM to 2 PM. These images are from their 2021 presentation. See these magnificent birds up close. Feel free to ask questions of the staff. Better yet, …

In the News for October 2022

Green America When you make a $20 tax deductible donation to Green America, a nonprofit organization, you’ll receive a FREE 'Cause I Care Package’ – the resources you need to make green living easy and FUN: Organic, fair trade chocolate and tea – thanking you for all you do for people and the planet! An …

Leave the Leaves in Fall: Don’t Rake

Leaves provide food and shelter for pollinators throughout the winter months. Click here to read the entire article from xerces.org.

Is There Hope To Stop Them? Spotted Lanternflies Might Have Met Their Match

This article from The Rocket on October 7, 2022, stated: Scientists have identified the fungi Batkoa major that killed 97% of spotted lanternflies on tree trunks when reproduced in a lab setting. They also identified a second fungi, Beauveria bassiana, that killed 51% of the flies while on the ground. Batkoa major killed the rest …

October 22nd: Film Prescreening Event at the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia

"Forest Her: The Next Wave of Conservation" Join in on this film journey of exploring the historical roles women have provided to their communities by using scientific forest management. This event is a Pre-Broadcast screening of the 27-minute documentary "Forest Her" with Panel Q&A Session. Panel members: Anne Hairston-Strang, Melody Starya Mobley and Brenda Lee …

Love Trees? You’ll like these books!

Linda Barker, our Big Tree Coordinator, suggests the following books for those who want to know more about our native trees. Identifying Trees of the East: Michael D. Williams This field-tested guide for identifying trees in any season, not just when they are in full leaf, features color photos and line drawings showing bark, branching …

Spotted Lanternflies Laying Egg Masses: How You Can Help

An article by Deb Belt, posted on  Maryland Regional Patch, discussed the egg masses laid by spotted lanternflies in Maryland. They are laid from September through December, and will not hatch until spring. This lag time provides us with an opportunity to report any egg masses to agencies that are designed to destroy them. "The …

2022 Natural Resources Careers Camp held at Hickory

Click on the link below to read the article (written by Brenda Ruggierro) of the Garrett County Republican, August 18, 2022 and see the images. Link to the newspaper online (Scroll to B1) PDF: Article_Garrett County Republican_Aug 2022

Carroll County’s Big Tree Program

CarrollMagazine.com recently featured its county’s Big Tree Program. Click on their site to read this highly interesting article.  Carroll’s Big Tree Program 16 DAYS AGO  |  Carroll Magazine Synopsis by Muck Rack. Written by Amanda Milewski, photography by Nikola Tzenov. Recognizing Some Of The County’s Shadiest Specimens. In a county known for its farmland and …

A Giant Moth Trusts Her Rescuer

When a giant moth, just out of its cocoon, lands on a young lady's hand, she sits quietly and places the insect in a protective spot for the night. The following morning the moth's rescuer spots her with a male. When a storm approaches, the girl provides shelter in a tent for the moth, who, …

Deep Sea Octopuses Find Ways to Use Human Trash for Shelter

Creative ways octopuses are using garbage in oceans is an interesting article in Huffington Post about how intelligent cephalopods use trash and litter for shelters because sea shells are gone. The Smithsonian Magazine also discusses this topic. My Octopus Teacher, the fascinating 2020 Netflix film, teaches us about the intelligence of our intriguing friends in …