Delaware Wild Lands' most recent land protection project, the 233-acre Jezyk Farm in the heart of Taylors Bridge. (Photo Credit: Delaware Wild Lands) | | Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program Accomplishments | | | Course participants joined forestry professionals in the woods to learn about forest management. (photo credit: John Hooven)) | |
The Maryland Forest Service is wrapping up their Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program, a landscape-scale restoration grant funded by the U.S. Forest Service. The Nature Conservancy, University of Maryland Extension, Maryland Forests Association, and Maryland Forestry Foundation partnered on various deliverables to bring additional expertise. Landowners increasingly name wildlife habitat as a main goal for managing their forests. The program aimed to expand on that momentum by providing peer-to-peer learning, resources, and workshops that focus on wildlife-friendly forest management.
To learn more, visit the newly created Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program webpage.
Learn More
| | | LSLT Accepting Applicants for Meadow Program | | | Yards For Creation sign in installed meadow at Park 7th Day Adventist Church, Salisbury, MD (photo credit: Brooke Orr, Lower Shore Land Trust)) | |
The Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT) is seeking public landowners and congregations in Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties interested in transforming a portion of their lawn into a thriving pollinator meadow through the Yards for Creation program. Funding is already available, and LSLT is ready to partner with those who want to bring more beauty, biodiversity, and purpose to their grounds.
About Yards for Creation: Across the U.S., more than 40 million acres of lawn require over 9 billion gallons of water each day while offering little to no habitat for the insects and wildlife our ecosystems depend on. Yards for Creation works with faith communities and in partnership with Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake to convert sections of lawn into vibrant meadows that restore habitat, support pollinators, and reconnect people with creation.
If you’d like to learn more contact Brooke Orr (borr@lslt.org).
Learn More | Interest Form
| Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan | Marshes for Tomorrow Technical Report & Resources | |
Marshes for Tomorrow's (MfT) full technical report is now available online. The report details all of the methods that were used to prioritize areas of salt marsh in Maryland for long-term maintenance, describes salt marsh restoration techniques employed in the State, and presents detailed, spatially-explicit marsh restoration strategies for four small regions:
- Blackwater-Fishing Bay (Dorchester County)
- Deal Island peninsula (Somerset County)
- Pocomoke Sound (Somerset County)
- Maryland Coastal Bays and Assateague Island (Worcester County).
Two other MfT resources that are available include the GIS Experience Builder, which maps and explains the MfT spatial models, and a policy-oriented MfT summary report!
Technical Report
GIS Experience Builder
Policy-Oriented Summary Report
| | | Funding Opportunities & RFPs | | MD DNR Greenspace Equity Program | | | |
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting grant proposals for the FY 2027 Greenspace Equity Program, which provides funding to land trusts, nongovernmental organizations, and local governments to acquire and/or develop public greenspaces in overburdened and underserved communities.
The Greenspace Equity Program was established in 2023 through legislation (Chapter 487 of 2023) to provide grants to eligible applicants for enhancing the public health and livability of overburdened and underserved communities by implementing projects to preserve, create, and improve public greenspace in overburdened and underserved communities. Funding for the program is authorized to come from the state share of Program Open Space subject to annual budget actions.
Submit Proposals by 3 PM on January 14, 2026
Questions about the program can be submitted to Stephanie Benavides at stephanie.benavides1@maryland.gov.
Learn More
| | | MD DNR Roots for Resilience | | | |
Roots for Resilience: Strong Roots for a Changing Landscape
The State of Maryland received funding through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This grant funding will support efforts to enhance carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the conservation and restoration of natural resources, while also strengthening community resilience to climate-related hazards.
To achieve these goals, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be funding a suite of nature-based climate solutions, including afforestation, forest management, coastal wetland restoration, and living shoreline restoration. To lead this work, DNR launched Roots for Resilience: Strong Roots for a Changing Landscape—a new initiative focused on supporting Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore adapt to the impacts of climate change. By enhancing the landscape’s natural ability to store carbon and buffer against climate stressors, the overall Initiative will promote tree planting, coastal habitat restoration, and community engagement. The Roots for Resilience Initiative builds upon existing partnerships and local efforts to foster both ecological and social resilience in a rapidly changing landscape
As part of the Roots for Resilience Initiative, Maryland DNR will be releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the Winter of 2026 to solicit applications for design, construction, and design/build proposals for the living shoreline restoration component for the above grant award. Proposed living shorelines for this initiative should be located in Wicomico, Somerset, or Dorchester Counties and protect substantial areas of adjacent wetland.
A presentation on the Roots for Resilience Initiative (general) and the Living Shoreline RFP will be hosted on December 17th at 1pm.
Please contact Ari Engelberg (ari.engelberg@maryland.gov) or Sarah Koser (sarah.koser@maryland.gov) for more information about the above RFP and/or to inquire about potential project ideas.
Join the Presentation
| | | Events, Workshops and Conferences | | |
Root for Resilience Presentation
A presentation on the Roots for Resilience Initiative (general) and the Living Shoreline RFP will be hosted on December 17th at 1pm.
As part of the Roots for Resilience Initiative, Maryland DNR will be releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) in the Winter of 2026 to solicit applications for design, construction, and design/build proposals for the living shoreline restoration component for the above grant award. Proposed living shorelines for this initiative should be located in Wicomico, Somerset, or Dorchester Counties and protect substantial areas of adjacent wetland.
Please contact Ari Engelberg (ari.engelberg@maryland.gov) or Sarah Koser (sarah.koser@maryland.gov) for more information about the above RFP and/or to inquire about potential project ideas.
Join the Presentation
| |
Land and Wildlife Speaker Series:
Join us on January 21, 2026, at Noon for this month’s installment of the Land and Wildlife Speaker Series featuring Andy Brown and Alex Pellegrini from the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. This month’s webinar topic will be bringing Barn Owls and Kestrels back to Maryland’s working landscapes.
To sign up for this and following months' webinars in our monthly Land & Wildlife Speaker Series, join the mailing list.
Subscribe to Mailing List to Register
| | |
The 2026 Delaware Wetlands Conference
Mark your calendars, the 2026 Delaware Wetlands Conference is happening January 27 and 28 in Wilmington, Delaware! Hosted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program, this conference provides a platform to share the latest in wetland research, innovations, practice and policy, education, and progress on projects.
The program is set, and a detailed agenda will be released soon. You can expect presentations covering topics ranging from tidal and non-tidal restoration, urban remediation, sea level rise, monitoring and assessment, and so much more! The Conference also provides a great opportunity to partake in field trips, engage in professional lunch meetings, and network with other likeminded folks. Registration is open so be sure to grab your tickets for this awesome event!
Contact Alison Stouffer (alison.stouffer@delaware.gov) with questions.
Register Here | Learn More
| | |
Burning for Birds: A Prescribed Fire Live Demonstration
ESLC and Tall Timbers invite you to Burning for Birds: A Prescribed Fire Live Demonstration “Learn and Burn” event. Attendees will learn about the safe and efficient use of prescribed fire as a management tool and how its use benefits grassland bird and Northern bobwhite quail habitat. Part discussion and part live demonstration, guest speakers and participants include Dan Small and Katherine Thornton of the Natural Lands Project, Sam Leaverton of the Kent Soil and Water Conservation District, and Jack Hutchison of Quail Forever and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Lunch will be provided!
This event is generously hosted by the Lieber family of Piney Grove Estate and supported by Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative.
- Date: Thursday, February 26th, 2026
- Rain Date: Thursday, March 5th, 2026
- Location: Piney Grove Estate 7281 Wilkins Lane, Chestertown, MD 21620
Register Here
| | |
Blackwater NWR Annual Eagle Festival
Blackwater NWR Annual Eagle Festival at the refuge Visitor Center. Experience live eagle & other birds of prey programs, kid’s programs & activities, Eagle Prowls & Wildlife Drive tours, nature and conservation exhibits, and food all day!
- March 14, 2026, 9 AM - 4 PM
- No fee for Wildlife Drive!
Learn More | 410-228-2677
| | | | |
Persistent Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone Underscores Pollution Problem
A new report shows the Chesapeake Bay’s “dead zone” remained at average levels in 2025. Every year, this low-oxygen area threatens to smother underwater life like fish, crabs, and oysters that are essential to the region’s culture and economy.
Read Here
| | | |
| |
Looking South: An easement in VA aims for industrial solar, raising questions across the mid-Atlantic
A landowner in Virginia’s King George County owns a 1400-acre parcel and is seeking the necessary approvals to build a commercial-scale solar installation on about 200 acres.
Read Here
| | | |
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.
| | |
Want to be featured in next month's newsletter?
Email submissions to delmarvarcn@gmail.com
| Delmarva Restoration & Conservation Network | delmarvarcn.org | | | | |
