Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) (Photo Credit: Brooke Orr, Lower Shore Land Trust) | | |
Upcoming Meetings
Steering Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 12th, 2026, 3:00 PM
2026 Events Schedule
| | MD Forests Association's Faces of Forestry | | | Ron Haas (photo credit: Andrew Martin)) | |
The Maryland Forests Association is rolling out a new batch of Shore-focused articles on their Faces of Forestry blog. Faces of Forestry is a public perception campaign that seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of sustainable forest management by weaving in personal stories.
The latest article, "Did you know that forest management can replicate natural processes?", highlights Ron Haas, Project Manager for Delaware Wild Lands' Great Cypress Swamp.
Future articles will be featured in the Recommended Reads section. Stay tuned!
Read it Here
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Maryland State Wildlife Action Plan | |
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.
But the SWAP isn't complete yet! At this stage, we're especially interested in receiving existing resources we can link to in the SWAP (such as reports, plans, maps, etc.); case studies from the past ten years that you would like to highlight; and anyone interested in reading, reviewing, and commenting on the draft SWAP once it's available.
If you're interesting in contributing, please reach out to the MD SWAP Coordinator, Mimi Sanford (mimi.sanford@maryland.gov). Thank you!
| 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 Roots for Resilience | | | |
Roots for Resilience: Strong Roots for a Changing Landscape is a new Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 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 will strengthen our natural defenses while reducing carbon emissions. Roots for Resilience unites the existing relationships, initiatives, and passions on the Lower Shore to nourish roots — ecologically and socially — to preserve this rapidly changing landscape.
As part of the Roots for Resilience initiative, Maryland DNR released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on Monday, January 5, 2026, to solicit applications for construction, design/build, and design proposals for living shoreline projects.
Please contact Ari Engelberg (ari.engelberg@maryland.gov) or Sarah Koser (sarah.koser@maryland.gov) for more information about the RFP and/or to inquire about potential project ideas.
Upcoming Session:
More Info | RSVP to the Mapping Session
| | | Events, Workshops and Conferences | |
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.
The Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership’s Farmland Raptor Program is dedicated to advancing our understanding and conservation of raptors that rely on grassland and farmland habitats across Maryland. The program focuses on four priority species: American Kestrel, American Barn Owl, Northern Harrier, and Short-eared Owl. In this talk, Andy Brown and Alex Pellegrini will share insights from their research on Barn Owls, Kestrels, and Short-eared Owls, highlighting the life histories and habitat needs of these declining species.
Looking ahead, mark your calendars for the upcoming sessions in the series:
Unlocking the Secrets of Mature Bucks with a Thermal Drone with Derrick Dixon - February 18, 2026
Subscribe to Mailing List to Register
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Worcester County Public Engagement Sessions & Survey
As part of the 2027 Worcester County Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan (LPPRP) updating process, Worcester County Recreation and Parks and Environmental Programs professionals invite area residents to participate in public engagement sessions. Residents are also invited to take part in the LPPRP survey before the deadline of April 1st.
Public Engagement Sessions:
- January 27th, 6 - 8 PM (Worcester County Recreation Center)
- February 5th, 6 - 8 PM (Berlin Public Library)
Take the Survey
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Public Review of City of SBY Draft Comprehensive Plan & Work Session
The Draft City Comprehensive Plan is now on the website for public review and comment. Work sessions are scheduled with the Planning Commission to review and finalize the draft before sending it to the State for the 60-Day review period.
The work sessions are not public hearings, so please send comments and questions in writing by the end of January. They will be shared with the Planning Commission and addressed, as appropriate, prior to the February 12 meeting.
Work Session:
Contact Betsy Jackson with comments and for more information (bjackson@salisbury.md)
Draft Comprehensive Plan
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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
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2026 Maryland | Bird | Vote Conservation Summit
Audubon Mid-Atlantic invites you to join us for this year's I Bird I Vote Conservation Summit for Maryland. The event will be held at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and includes lunch, coffee, snacks, and all sessions.
Scholarships are available; for more information, please contact Tess Wilson at tess.wilson@audubon.org.
Saturday, February 7, 2026 @ 9:00 AM, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403
Register Here
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Friends of Libertytown Meeting
Join us for a closer look at Libertytown Branch (formerly the Bay Club Golf Course). Creston Long, Director of Salisbury University’s Nabb Center, will share the site’s history, followed by updates on the restoration efforts currently underway on the property.
- Thursday, Feb. 12th, 6:30 - 8 PM
- Berlin Public Library (13 Harrison Ave, Berlin, MD 21811)
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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
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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
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Chesapeake Bay Partners Permanently Protect more than 9 Million Acres across the Watershed
More than 9.2 million acres of land across the Chesapeake Bay watershed are now permanently protected from development, according to newly released data collected through 2024.
Read Here
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Delaware State Parks Holds Day of Service for 75th Anniversary
A “Day of Service” event is planned for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday at several state parks on Jan. 19. This will be the first of four signature service days that will take place throughout the year to advance environmental stewardship, service and community care.
Read 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 | | | | |
