03-23-2010, 11:14 AM
WHO: Frostburg Professor Dr. Richard Raesly
DNR Biologists
WHAT: Search for the Maryland Darter
WHERE: Susquehanna State Park<br />
Picnic Area below Stafford Road Bridge
WHEN: Friday, October 16, 2009<br />
2:30 p.m.<br />
RAIN DATE: Friday, October 23, 2009<br />
2:30 p.m.
WHY: The namesake fish of Maryland, the Maryland darter, which only lived in three creeks in Harford County, was last seen in 1988 and experts fear it may be extinct, but there is hope that a few are still alive.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists will join a professor from Frostburg State University who was the last to see a Maryland darter in 1988 and Marshall University professors and students in an unprecedented effort to see if any Maryland darters remain. This group will try many different fishingtechniques in and around the creeks where the fish were found more than 20 years ago. This will include using a brand new technology specifically designed to catch small bottom loving fish like the Maryland darter from large rivers like the Susquehanna. Failure to find it tells us that some of the same pollution that caused the decline of Chesapeake Bay may have also killed the last of Maryland's only unique fish. Finding the darter will mean that DNR may still have a chance to save and protect it.
***IN CASE OF INCLIMATE WEATHER, CALL JOSH DAVIDSBURG AT 410-507-7526***
DIRECTIONS:
Take I-95 north from Baltimore to Exit 89 (Rt. 155). Follow Rt. 155 east towards Havre De Grace for 1.1 miles. Take left on Lapidum Road. FollowLapidum Road to Stafford Road (at River). Take left on Stafford Road and follow for 2.5 miles. The picnic area will be on your left.<br />
From Howard County follow Frederick Rd. through Ellicott City into Baltimore County, turn right at South Rolling Rd. and follow directions above.
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The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 467,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.Maryland.gov.
Media Contact<br />
Josh Davidsburg (410) 260-8002 or jdavidsburg@dnr.state.md.us
DNR Biologists
WHAT: Search for the Maryland Darter
WHERE: Susquehanna State Park<br />
Picnic Area below Stafford Road Bridge
WHEN: Friday, October 16, 2009<br />
2:30 p.m.<br />
RAIN DATE: Friday, October 23, 2009<br />
2:30 p.m.
WHY: The namesake fish of Maryland, the Maryland darter, which only lived in three creeks in Harford County, was last seen in 1988 and experts fear it may be extinct, but there is hope that a few are still alive.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists will join a professor from Frostburg State University who was the last to see a Maryland darter in 1988 and Marshall University professors and students in an unprecedented effort to see if any Maryland darters remain. This group will try many different fishingtechniques in and around the creeks where the fish were found more than 20 years ago. This will include using a brand new technology specifically designed to catch small bottom loving fish like the Maryland darter from large rivers like the Susquehanna. Failure to find it tells us that some of the same pollution that caused the decline of Chesapeake Bay may have also killed the last of Maryland's only unique fish. Finding the darter will mean that DNR may still have a chance to save and protect it.
***IN CASE OF INCLIMATE WEATHER, CALL JOSH DAVIDSBURG AT 410-507-7526***
DIRECTIONS:
Take I-95 north from Baltimore to Exit 89 (Rt. 155). Follow Rt. 155 east towards Havre De Grace for 1.1 miles. Take left on Lapidum Road. FollowLapidum Road to Stafford Road (at River). Take left on Stafford Road and follow for 2.5 miles. The picnic area will be on your left.<br />
From Howard County follow Frederick Rd. through Ellicott City into Baltimore County, turn right at South Rolling Rd. and follow directions above.
###
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 467,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.Maryland.gov.
Media Contact<br />
Josh Davidsburg (410) 260-8002 or jdavidsburg@dnr.state.md.us