MET Newsletter: September 2024

Maryland Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 09/12/2024 03:57 PM EDT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Protecting Land Forever!

Keep Maryland Beautiful Grant Applications Now Being Accepted

The Maryland Departments of Natural Resources, Transportation, and Agriculture, along with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, are partnering to accept applications for this year’s Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants program. About $327,000 is available for this year’s grant round.

These grants are offered annually to volunteer groups, nonprofit organizations, communities, and land trusts in Maryland to support environmental education projects, community stewardship, and the protection of natural resources in urban and rural areas. Applications for funding will be accepted from September 6 through November 15. Awards will be announced in March 2025.

Keep Maryland Beautiful grants include: community stewardship grants for volunteer groups, nonprofits, local governments, and schools; capacity building grants for Maryland’s land trusts; and grants for nonprofits to implement forestry projects on agricultural land.

Read more

Partners Near You

Learn about protected places, explore Maryland spaces, or find something new. Check out MET's partners near you.

Bird Walk Planned on MET Conserved Land

Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT) and Delmarva Birding are co-hosting a bird walk field trip on October 11 at the Irish Grove MOS Sanctuary. The Sanctuary occupies the Rumbly Point peninsula in southern Somerset County.

A portion of the Sanctuary where the event will take place is protected by a conservation easement that is jointly held by LSLT and MET. The Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) manages Irish Grove Sanctuary. At 2,326 acres, Irish Grove is MOS’s largest sanctuary. Registration is required for this event. Learn more.

Branching Out: Maryland's Forest Stewardship Educator

Branching Out is UME's free, quarterly newsletter of the Woodland Stewardship Education program. Check out the latest edition of Branching Out to learn how new and old can make a positive mix, and about the importance of conserving existing forest buffers. Also, this edition of features "Native Trees of Maryland" looks at the red maple, and "Invasives in Your Woodlands" looks at Japanese hop. And don't forget the events calendar and the Brain Tickler challenge. Read more.

Celebrate Monarchs and Milkweed at Merkle

Butterflies are one of the most iconic pollinators because of their unique, long migration from Maryland to Mexico, where they spend the winter. Part of what makes these butterflies so special is that their caterpillars can only feed on one host plant, milkweed, which they need to become butterflies and complete their migration. Join DNR on September 28 for the fifth annual Monarchs and Milkweed festival at Merkle Natural Resources Management Area in Prince George's County to celebrate monarch butterflies with crafts, games, butterfly tagging, costumes, and more! Learn more.