Taylor Hoffman from the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays stocks the Indian River Bay with oysters. (Photo Credit: Clare Magargal) | | |
Upcoming Meetings
Steering Committee Meeting
Thursday, April 9th, 2026, 3:00 PM
Tuesday, April 21st, 10 AM - 3 PM - Salisbury University
2026 Events Schedule
| | Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) | |
The newest Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is around the corner! Beginning May 1st, 2026, the updated SWAP will be available on the MD DNR website for all to read. We hope it will be a useful tool in planning and prioritizing your own work, connecting with others across the state, and furthering our shared mission of conserving wildlife and their habitats for generations to come.
The first full draft of the SWAP is out for public comment through the end of Friday, April 10th. If you'd like to provide comments, you can find the content and comment form linked below.
If you're interested in learning more about the SWAP, please reach out to the MD SWAP Coordinator, Mimi Sanford (mimi.sanford@maryland.gov).
Give Feedback
| | | City of Salisbury's New Native Habitat Program Blooms | |
The City of Salisbury’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, known as the Green Team, has received a $20,000 grant to expand pollinator habitat efforts within city limits.
The funding will support a coordinated initiative to increase public education, engagement and visibility of pollinator demonstration sites across our region.
Pollinators such as bees and butterflies are essential to healthy ecosystems and food production, yet their populations are declining. The project aims to reverse that trend locally by creating additional native pollinator gardens and meadows on city-owned, business-owned and residential properties. These sites will be tracked through a revitalized Lower Shore Pollinator Habitat Certified program, encouraging widespread participation and stewardship
More Info | Contact Elise Trelegan (etrelegan@gmail.com)
| | | Funding Opportunities & RFPs | | Natural Lands Project Habitat Opportunity | |
(Photo credit: Kathy Thornton, Natural Lands Project. Photo of native pollinator meadow is in its third growing year with blooming tall white beardtongue, lanceleaf coreopsis, and butterfly milkweed in May and June.)
The Natural Lands Project is celebrating 10 years of creating early successional habitat to benefit wildlife, including the Northern Bobwhite, and improve water quality on Maryland's Eastern Shore. We are fortunate to have recently received funding (in partnership with ESLC and ShoreRivers) from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund to continue this work and we're looking for acres!
As practitioners and community organizations, we are asking you for help! If you know of landowners who live in Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline, or Dorchester counties who are interested in converting crop land into habitat and have 15+ acres that are currently cropped, we'd love to talk with them. Our grant funding covers establishment costs and in return the habitat must be maintained by the landowner for 10 years. Our staff will be involved in every step of the way providing guidance for maintaining optimal early successional habitat.
If you know of someone who might be a good fit, please share our information or contact Dan Small (dsmall2@washcoll.edu) with any inquiries.
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MD DNR: Roots for Resilience | |
Roots for Resilience is a new Initiative designed to help Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore adapt to the challenges of climate change by enhancing nature’s ability to store carbon and buffer climate impacts. Through tree planting, coastal habitat restoration, and community engagement, the Initiative strengthens our natural defenses while reducing carbon emissions.
- Deadline: April 6th, 2026.
Learn More
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Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense Grants Proposals: OPEN
NFWF, in partnership with FWS, is soliciting proposals through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF) to advance voluntary actions to restore, conserve, and connect fish and wildlife habitat of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.
Full Proposal Due Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026, 12:00PM (noon)
Grant Amounts & Match: $75,000 to $500,000, match requirements vary by project type
Geographic Focus: Chesapeake Bay Watershed (New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Virginia)
Program Goals: Restore conserve and connect fish and wildlife habitat | Improve water quality for fish, wildlife and people | Align the power of nature to adapt to changing landscapes | Expand access to nature and outdoor recreation for all Americans | Build partnership capacity to collaborate and coordinate actions.
RFP
| VA Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Grant | |
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is seeking grant applications for cooperative waterfowl habitat improvement projects through the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Grant Program (RFA 113205). Projects will be evaluated by a panel of wildlife professionals based on waterfowl habitat benefits, site characteristics, project planning, social concerns, and other wildlife considerations. Applications may only be submitted by appropriate nonprofit organizations in accordance with the Code of Virginia § 29.1-339.2. This grant has an Award Ceiling of up to $100,000 with a minimum 1:1 match requirement. Match may be in the form of cash or in-kind compensation. Please see the attached RFA document for more information.
Applicants must be registered in eVA to apply. To register in eVA, go to https://eva.virginia.gov/register-now.html. If your organization is already registered in eVA, you are strongly encouraged to login to eVA to verify your eVA registration status is active and your account information is correct before you submit your application response.
In order to be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete response to this RFA. One (1) original, so marked, and one (1) redacted copy if applicable (removing only proprietary information), so marked, shall be attached electronically as an Adobe PDF, using the Commonwealth’s electronic procurement system, eVA.
- Instructions for submitting a response electronically in eVA can be found here (https://eva.virginia.gov/supplier-training-materials.html)
- The official solicitation can be found here. (https://mvendor.cgieva.com/Vendor/public/AllOpportunities.jsp
- You can use the Advanced Search feature along the right side of the screen to find the listing by defining the Buying Entity as the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource.
Applications are due by Friday April 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST.
Request for Applications | Contact Ben Sagara (Ben.Sagara@dwr.virginia.gov)
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| | Events, Workshops and Conferences | |
LSLT Native Plant Sale
The 10th Annual Native Plant Sale is now live. This year marks a decade of connecting our community with native plants. Shop a curated selection of staff-picked plants chosen for Maryland habitats, perfect for creating beautiful gardens that support pollinators and local wildlife.
- Place Orders before April 26th!
- Pick Up May 1st & 2nd: 100 River St., Snow Hill, MD 21863
Shop Now
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Eastern Shore Sustainable Coffee Hour:
Community Asset Mapping
For our next event, we welcome Caroline Better Together, whose mission reflects that same belief. As part of the Local Management Board, this group works to connect residents to one another and to essential services throughout the county, helping close the long-standing gap between rural communities and the public agencies that serve them. Much of their work centers on the idea that asset mapping is not only about creating a visual record of community resources but also about strengthening human connections, helping neighbors find one another, and revealing opportunities for collective action.
- April 15th 10 - 11 AM
- Kennard African American Cultural Heritage (410 Little Kidwell Ave, Centreville, MD 21617)
Register Here
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19th Annual Oyster Roast Dinner
Save the date, April 18, 2026, for the 19th Annual Oyster Roast Dinner. Indulge on oysters, clams, dinner, full bar including Chatham wine, and dessert while enjoying a VES Land Trust held conservation easement. Proceeds benefit the Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust and its land preservation mission on the Eastern Shore.
Get Tickets
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Last year's DAAP Retreat at Pocomoke State Park. (Photo Credit: Bhaskar Subramanian)
The Delmarva Alliance of Adaptation Practitioners Forum
The Delmarva Alliance of Adaptation Practitioners Forum is back for 2026! DRCN is teaming up with the Delmarva Alliance for Adaptation Practitioners (DAAP) to host an in-person forum meeting on April 21st, 10 AM - 3 PM at Salisbury University.
The Delmarva Alliance of Adaptation Practitioners (DAAP) provides opportunities for practitioners working with rural communities in Delmarva to share existing approaches, build off current knowledge and expertise, discuss common challenges, explore potential solutions, and identify cooperative actions that enhance individual efforts.
Forum Objectives:
- Share information, approaches, and lessons learned from current adaptation efforts in Delmarva
- Learn about planned and ongoing work related to adaptation in Delmarva
- Brainstorm common challenges and discuss potential solutions
- Provide an opportunity to initiate or expand Delmarva partnerships
- Build and sustain partnerships between alliance members
Contact kayle@umd.edu with questions.
Register
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Listening Sessions for the Community Agricultural Resilience through Extension (CARE) Project
Join for a discussion on resilience in coastal agricultural communities with UMES and the Community Agricultural Resilience through extension (CARE) Project.
What happens when a season of drought dries up fields, when flooding washes out roads, or when saltwater creeps into farmland? These disruptions don’t just affect crops—they ripple through the whole community.
Register
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Wood Duck mother and young on created wetlands. (Photo Credit: Pickering Creek Staff)
Pickering Creek Audubon Center & Chesapeake Wildlife
Heritage Wetland and Meadow Habitat Restoration
Join us for a half-day, in-depth training designed for landowners and habitat managers interested in restoring cropland or enhancing existing natural areas to benefit birdlife, wildlife, and improve water quality.
Participants will tour Pickering Creek’s restored habitat wetlands, meadows, and woodland plantings at different stages of their lifecycle. Instructors will share results of habitat management techniques that have been successfully implemented and discuss the wildlife species these habitats attract. Attendees will receive practical guidance on how to optimize the effectiveness of their restoration projects.
The program will be led by Ned Gerber, Wildlife Habitat Ecologist and Executive Director of CWH, and Mark Scallion, Director of Pickering Creek Audubon Center. Together, the two organizations have partnered to restore 90 acres of non-tidal wetlands, planted 11 acres of woodlands, and created 48 acres of warm-season grass meadows at Pickering Creek - projects that now showcase successful habitat restoration and land management activities.
The workshop will cover methods for restoring cropland to warm-season grass buffers, meadows, and freshwater wetlands, with an emphasis on the value of these habitats to birds along the Atlantic Flyway. Larger field-scale restoration projects, in particular, can deliver meaningful landscape-scale improvement to local ecosystems and declining species.
Maryland has lost 70% of its wetlands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Wildlife populations have suffered from that loss. Audubon’s State of the Birds reports population losses for 77% of Northern Pintail, 72% for Eastern Meadowlark, 65% for Grasshopper Sparrow, and 82% for Northern Bobwhite. The USGS Circular 1228 notes that 95% of nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay drainage of the Delmarva Peninsula come from agriculture, underscoring the importance of landowner led conservation.
On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 20- to 500-acre properties remain common. Landowners have a great opportunity to learn about, implement, and spread the word about land management and restoration practices that improve the health of the Bay and wildlife habitat.
- Tuesday, April 21, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Pickering Creek Audubon Center
Register
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Green Screen Film Night
Join us in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 2026 at 6:00 PM at Signatures at Bayside for an inspiring and eco-focused evening benefiting the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.
Enjoy a thoughtfully curated program of short documentary films, engaging guest speakers, and delicious food and drinks — all in support of protecting, preserving and restoring the Delaware Inland Bays. Our journey will take us from large-scale reforestation efforts in distant landscapes like Brazil to meaningful conservation work happening right here in our local watershed. You’ll leave inspired and empowered to take action locally.
We are pleased to feature:
- Meghan Noe Fellows, Director of Estuary Science and Restoration at The Center, who will share updates on current reforestation initiatives.
- Helen Raleigh of Story Hill Farms, connecting reforestation efforts to the restoration of local meadows.
- Lincoln Smith of Forested, presenting his work educating communities about sustainable food forests.
Relax, learn, and connect with others who are passionate about protecting our planet. Bring your friends and celebrate Earth Day with us for an evening of community, conversation, and positive impact.
Tickets are $40 and include event admission, one drink ticket, and appetizers. A cash bar will also be available.
Tickets
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Global Environmental History Since 1900:
The Great Acceleration & the Anthropocene
John McNeill, Georgetown University Distinguished University Professor
and past president of the American Historical Association, has written
six books, more than 130 articles and book chapters, and edited 12
volumes. Celebrate Earth Day as we seek to understand the unprecedented
environmental changes of the last 125 years – and where that leaves us as
we look ahead.
- Free & Open to the Public
- Wednesday, April 22, 7 PM
- Salisbury University, Guerrieri Academic Commons, Assembly Hall
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Delaware Wild Lands:
Two days of tree plantings in New Castle and Sussex Counties!
Join us this spring and start the year off right by planting trees! With support from the State’s Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative, DWL will be planting almost 3,000 trees at Augustine Creek in New Castle County (Friday April 24th) and the Great Cypress Swamp in Sussex County (Saturday April 25th). From the coastal marshes in the north to the majestic stands of baldcypress trees in the south, help us protect and strengthen Delaware’s natural heritage. Register now, and stay tuned to DWL’s social media for more details.
Contact Information: Kim Staska (302-378-2736 | info@dewildlands.org)
DWL Facebook | Register
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Roots for Resilience Webinar - “Runneling: A Marsh Restoration Technique to Buy Time”
Saltmarshes on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland are rapidly converting to open water as a result of relative sea‑level rise. Inaction can mean losing these ecosystems entirely. Runneling is a low‑impact marsh restoration technique designed to improve drainage in waterlogged, deteriorating marshes that are high enough relative to local tides to allow trapped water to escape the marsh surface. The strategy behind the runneling technique is to recover and maintain healthy vegetation in order to increase marsh resilience to sea level rise. By creating shallow, strategically-placed channels, areas with excessive waterlogging and trapped, impounded surface water can be reconnected to natural tidal creeks or existing ditches. Runneling can:
- Reduce chronic waterlogging in stressed marsh platforms;
- Encourage the return and expansion of native marsh vegetation; and
- Possibly increase sedimentation in marshes by facilitating transport into marsh interiors - and potentially improve trapping of sediments by the recovering vegetation.
Webinar Speakers:
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Dr. Alice Besterman, Coastal/Aquatic Ecologist and Assistant Professor, Towson University
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Katie Stahl, Chesapeake Bay Restoration Finance Coordinator, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
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David Curson, Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Mid-Atlantic
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Sophia Seufert, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Register
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Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale
The Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale, which started in 2019, is free and family-friendly. It features “feet-wet, hands-dirty fun,” outdoor recreation and educational opportunities, multiple exhibits, food trucks, and a native plant sale. Organizations and nonprofits gather at James Farm Ecological Preserve and offer a variety of activities and exhibits. Staff from local plant nurseries are on hand to answer questions on the importance of native species and offer a variety of native plants for sale to the public.
Educational exhibits help people explore environmental topics such as seagrass, shellfish, waves, beaches, wetlands, tax ditches, rain gardens, and more. Attendees can explore hiking trails, enjoy kids’ activities and hands-on learning, or even try paddleboarding and kayaking.
- Native plants, educational exhibits, and local eats and music
- May 2, 2026 10 AM - 2 PM
- James Farm Ecological Preserve
More Info
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The Economic and Environmental Sustainability Challenges of Rare Earths
Daniel J. Packey, SU adjunct professor of economics, offers a clear, engaging overview of the economic and sustainability challenges surrounding rare earth elements. Packey is the former head of the Minerals and Energy Economics Program at Curtin University. The talk explains what rare earths are, why they’re vital to technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines, and how their global supply chains refect strategic, environmental, and market pressures.
- Free & Open to the Public
- Wednesday, May 6, 7 PM
- Salisbury University, Henson Science Hall 243
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LSLT Pollinator Garden Tour
Salisbury’s gardens set the stage for this year’s Pollinator Garden Tour. Stroll through a collection of private pollinator gardens, meet the people who bring them to life, and watch plein air artists capture the landscapes in real time. More details to come.
- June 6th, 2026 - Salisbury, MD
Tickets
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Maryland Naturalist Volunteer Training, Program & Certification on the Lower Eastern Shore
Have you ever had an interest in learning about nature and our natural world? Maryland Master Naturalist (MdMN) participants will obtain the skills of a naturalist, learn the importance of the environment and being better stewards of our planet, and learn how they can share information with the public. With so many topics of nature to learn about, this program will target the Lower Eastern Shore area of Maryland.
More Info
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What is Project Open Space?
For more than 50 years, Program Open Space has helped protect Maryland’s parks, forests, farms, and natural areas, ensuring every Marylander has access to green spaces that improve health, strengthen communities, support local food systems, and boost our economy.
Watch Here
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The Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN), formed in 2017, is a collaborative of local, state, and Federal government agencies and NGOs working with private and public landowners and local governments to identify the most important places to protect and restore, and to obtain support and funding for voluntary restoration and conservation.
The DRCN Mission is to restore and conserve Delmarva’s landscapes, waterways, and shorelines that are special to its people, fundamental to its economy, and vital for its native fish, wildlife, and plants.
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Want to be featured in next month's newsletter?
Submit to DRCN's Newsletter Form HERE
| Delmarva Restoration & Conservation Network | delmarvarcn.org | | | | |
