Welcome the arrival of spring by observing signs of nature awakening at Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary. Join Master Naturalist Mike Quilan on a walk around the sanctuary to look and listen for indications of the changing seasons. The stroll will end at the observation deck to watch the sun as it sets over the wetlands. Ages 10 and up. Free with $6 per vehicle park admission. Current health guidelines will be required. COVID mask, social distancing, and registration required. March 20, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm; Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Lothian, MD. More info and registration.
Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely, Maryland is launching this year’s plant sale on March 4. They will have a wonderful selection of landscape-ready native trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, grasses, and vines for the Spring Native Plant Sale. Orders will be accepted beginning next Thursday, March 4. To ensure everyone's safety and convenience, sales will be conducted entirely online. Visit https://www.adkinsarboretum.org/ between March 4 and April 8 and click on the Spring Plant Sale link to shop. Once you’ve selected your plants, staff will contact you with a phone call or email to schedule your pickup time.
Come for an evening walk through the woods to one of Huntley Meadows Park’s largest meadows. Listen for the call of the male woodcock and hopefully see his amazing courtship display and flight during an approximately 1.5-mile walk on uneven terrain. Bring a flashlight. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. The program will be canceled in the event of rain. Ages 6 to adult; $9 per person. March 6, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm and March 20, 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm; Huntley Meadows Park; Alexandria, VA. More information and registration. 
Join park naturalists from Little Buffalo and Codorus State Parks as they explore the history, economics, and biology behind maple sugaring. Learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees, and how maple sugar is processed. Once you are registered you will receive the link to the Microsoft Teams program. March 4, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. More details.
March is Women's History Month – commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. While women often faced social constraints and could be restricted by conventional ideas about gender roles, they have still managed to be active participants in American society – as political activists, intellectuals, innovators, entrepreneurs, laborers, and educators. In honor of Women’s History Month the National Park Service has put together an overview of the historical accomplishments of women in American history – from American Indian women like those of the matriarchal Ocmulgee society to those who fought for women’s suffrage and Black equality like Harriet Tubman and Mary McLeod Bethune and beyond. Read more about the Remarkable Legacies of American Women.
Akiima, a Washington, DC native, served as the Anacostia Park Community Liaison to the National Park Service. She believed our greatest hope was to expose youth to the women’s suffrage movement and the names and accomplishments of women that look like them. She chose four such women associated with Washington, DC whose lives exemplified the unstinting courage of a Black American suffragist: Ida B. Wells, journalist, teacher, and abolitionist; Mary Church Terrell, educator, author social activist; Nannie Helen Burroughs, educator, playwright, business woman; and Mary Burnett Talbert, organizer, writer and speaker. Read more about the accomplishments of these amazing women and also how Frederick Douglass played a pivotal role in the fight for women’s right to vote.
This online family program will focus on women's contributions in medicine and botany at Hampton National Historic Site. Anne Davis Williams (1835-c.1890), who came to Hampton as an enslaved child and labored there into adulthood, was known to the Ridgely family as "Annie Bones" because of her skills in "bandaging and nursing." Helen West Stewart Ridgely (1854-1929) was an author, artist, historian, and civic leader, who also took courses on botany and made scientific observations of Maryland's native plants. Her studies informed her extended work cultivating Hampton's renowned gardens. Children under 12 must be accompanied on the Zoom session by an adult. No registration required. March 6, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. More information and Zoom instructions.
This watershed site sits on a beautiful, 4,046-acre lake. A small stream emanates from the lake that is the very beginning of the Susquehanna River. This seemingly insignificant flow will travel some 444 miles, growing in width, depth and velocity, to eventually feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Submit your answer. Note: Find Your Chesapeake watershed places can be found in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Kudos to Curtis C. for correctly identifying First Landing State Park as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed site known for its amazing history, including American Indian hunting camps, the landing of English colonists in 1607, and the building of park facilities and trails by an all African-American Civilian Conservation Corps. Read Experience Over 400 years of First Landing History in One Day.

Feature of the Week
Killdeer, Theressia Shoup, Maryland DNR
Top Places for Spring Birding in Washington, DC
You may be surprised to learn that you do not need to leave the confines of Washington, DC to find world-class spring migration birding opportunities. There are a number of parks and habitats throughout the city that provide important habitat for breeding or foraging on the journey northwards. The Chesapeake Bay watershed, part of the Atlantic Flyway, will experience a huge influx of neotropical migratory birds starting in late February to early March and extending through June, with peak migration occurring in late April through May. From hatchling wood ducks at Theodore Roosevelt Island and black-crowned night herons at Anacostia Park, to killdeer and spotted sandpiper at the National Mall, there's more than enough DC birding to keep you busy this spring. Read Top Ten Places for Spring Migration Birding in the District of Columbia. 

Featured Tips
Backyard Buffers Free Trees Program
If you are a resident of select counties in Maryland and have a drainage ditch, stream, creek or river flowing through your property, or are adjacent to a waterway, you could qualify for a free “Buffer in a Bag.” The bag includes 20-30 native tree and shrub bare-root seedlings, approximately 1 to 2 feet in height. A mix of various species, the seedlings are well suited to streamside conditions. Also included are fact sheets on the tree species, planting techniques, proper maintenance and additional information. Packet reservations are typically taken during the month of March, with bags available for pickup in April. A limited number of bags are available each year so be sure to call ahead. Check to see if you qualify for this program. If you are a qualifying homeowner, here is the contact information for your local Backyard Buffers County Coordinator.


Head out on the water and learn firsthand the experiences of Captain John Smith's Voyage on NOAA's Chesapeake Bay interpretive Buoy System. CBIBS provides real time weather and environmental information, as well as a glimpse into living Chesapeake Bay History. You can also download the app for your Android or iPhone from the website. Note: some buoys may be offline with no data currently available.

Take a virtual tour of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail from your computer or mobile device! To help you plan your trip before you go, the Chesapeake Conservancy partnered with Terrain360 to bring you virtual tours of the trail’s great rivers. Sit back and virtually explore the Elk, James (sponsored by the James River Association), Nanticoke, Northeast, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, Sassafras, Susquehanna, and York rivers. Check out some of the Chesapeake’s special places like Werowocomoco, Fones Cliffs, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Mallows Bay. We hope to eventually bring you a virtual tour of the entire Chesapeake Trail! Explore the Chesapeake's great rivers on our website.
A Note About COVID-19 and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Help stop the spread of COVID-19 and follow all current directives from your governor and local health officials about wearing face masks and physical distancing.
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