Outdoors Maryland; 1508s

Outdoors Maryland is made by NPT to serve all of our diverse communities and is made possible by the generous support of our members. Thank you. Coming up. It's a life and death struggle for marine rescue teams working the coast. Traveling the state. In search of outdoor adventures. And. Drinking in the still in the quiet of the land between two water. Outdoors Maryland is produced in cooperation with the moon Department of Natural Resources. Dno inspired by nature guided by sightings. You know.

These are the lucky ones. These marine animals were stranded in vast waters but rescued in the nick of time. Not all survive their brutal encounter with mysterious disease or human trespass. But at the National Aquarium in Baltimore dedicated scientists and volunteers apply all that skill and technology can muster to save these rare creatures. Waiting for the first breath. All right. Great job OK. David Scofield is manager of the aquariums ocean health program whose cornerstone is the marine animal rescue program. We'll get a. Look at all. Of it. And now. With it down look down. Their mission. Rescue rehabilitate and release stranded marine animals.

And educate the public about ocean health issues raised by the stranding us. There is definitely a seasonality to the stranding events that we see here in the mid-Atlantic region in the summer months we'll get sea turtles and dolphins in the fall and winter we might see various species of seals coated seals harp seals coming down from the Arctic as well as gray seals and harbor seals coming down from the the northeast United States. We also may see the occasional Harbor porpoise in the springtime we may see pilot whales and then the cycle starts again. One of the most famous rescues involving the aquarium was relocation to warmer waters of a stranded manatee discovered in the Chesapeake Bay. Hundreds of miles north of its usual range in Florida. The effort to save the manatee was monumental for like so many of the marine animal rescues the manatee is an endangered species.

The status of being threatened or endangered means that the numbers within the population have been impacted by human activities to the point where the mortality rate is greater than the birth rate of fishing practices or changed areas of boating in known areas of habitat usage may be banned for commercial use. With the idea of trying to bring the population back up to a sustainable level so that they can thrive and not become extinct. This summer saw a large number of stranded sea turtles a sea turtle species that we have encountered within the marine animal rescue program or the greens he turtled loggerhead sea turtle leatherback and Kemp's Ridley. All of these turtles are either threatened or endangered. So the survival of each individual is important to the genetic diversity of the population on the whole. These beautiful and rare Kemp's ridley sea turtles were stranded in Cape Cod in November and December.

Cold stunned. It is believed in a cruel trick of climate change. Sea turtles travel the Gulf Stream to feed and mate with recent fluctuations in the Gulf Stream increasing numbers of sea turtles are found stranded in warm water gyros that spin off into colder waters. The turtles become paralyzed with hypothermia and washed ashore. The sea turtles were happily rescued by the New England Aquarium and brought to the National Aquarium in Baltimore for rehabilitation. Soon they will be recovered and fattened up enough to return to the wild once mid-Atlantic waters reach 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Really great. Last year when the marvelous Dr. Ian Walker is associate veterinarian at the National Aquarium in Baltimore sea turtles are essentially living fossils they haven't changed in thousands of years and their biology being the way it is that having a very hard time keeping up with the rate of human

being pro-German of their mating areas and their egg laying area is having a real detrimental impact on their populations. Personally I find the massively fascinating and I mean they've lived for so long and it's a shame that man is having such a great impact of this point. So we're very pleased with their progress so far. Last time here. Any camera has worked with the marine animal rescue program for a long time. He is one of 90 essential volunteers in the tri state area of Maryland Delaware and Virginia. Each animal shows sai. Yeah. Fascinating profile and yeah and a character we do try to make a difference. Certainly it is a gratification to you all of us and to know that these animals are going back to their world their home. The aquarium also cares for animals that could not survive if returned to the wild.

These damaged creatures are used to educate the public about ocean health. The green sea turtle came to us from one of our partners in the Stranding Network and basically the animal had severe trauma to one of its flippers to the point where they actually had to amputate. Glenn page is director of the aquariums conservation department which operates the marine animal rescue program. Green sea turtles or tropical species they. Nest on beaches essentially in the Caribbean but also there are globally distributed so they're found worldwide. They are very endangered. They're both in danger from a national perspective but also from an international perspective. And we want every visitor that comes in to really have a sense of their role as a steward of the land. And as a steward of the water. So it's very important that we look at these animals as sentinels both of the health of the oceans but of a species that has really been affected by the way we live

throughout the world. Some marine animals are found dead or dying beyond rescue. Sixty five point two these biologists with the Department of Natural Resources at the Oxford cooperative lab will perform a neck rope see on the sea turtle to collect data about life history and determine cause of death. Susan olds is Maryland marine mammal and sea turtle stranding coordinator. This is a threatened loggerhead sea turtle that stranded in the maggoty river in the Chesapeake Bay. And you can see here live near where that resulted from propeller one of the things the general public can do if they see a stranded sea turtle or marine mammal is to notify the natural resources police hotline. Never attempt to approach or feed marine mammals or sea turtles because these animals will then start associating the boats with food and they approach too closely and be struck as

you can see with a startle. Far out to sea the waters have grown more the day anticipated by so many arrives it's time to release sea turtles. Many contribute to the effort. Our old and merry growl have donated the use of their private plane and piloting skills to speed the transport of the sea turtles to Topsail Island North Carolina. Anticipation builds in high tech humans and ancient beast. It was just fantastic to be able to be part of a team that got him out there. A lot of people say that they know they're going home. They know they're going home. We went out about five miles. Everybody was pretty excited the Coast Guard seemed pretty excited to help us out which was great. It was pretty quick you just taken right out of the box let him go. It's just a great

feeling watching them swim away from the boat. This is exactly why we do that on days like this you get to get all the positive and you work. The sea turtles are remarkable. There are periods of time within our life where we don't know what they do that we don't know where they go. Their ability to cross great bodies of water hole oceans in some cases to go back to the same places for breeding and nesting are quite remarkable. We know that they play a very important part in the ecosystems upon coral reefs as well as sea grass beds. And we don't want to lose this resource. We now know. At this time that what we do in terms of the way we live the way we grow the way we develop has had a tremendous effect on the number of species on the habitat and on our ability

to really understand that like no other time. So what we choose to do with that information is really going to be our legacy. You know I think history will really judge. Ultimately how we chose to use this information. It's the way it's always been in Maryland. From rushing water ways to abundant forest. Our state provides us great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. To the uninitiated figuring out where to go and what to do can be a daunting task. Help is available though in the form of a new program designed to assist visitors in getting the most out of the state's more than 350000 acres of

public lands and waterways. Make a tourism eco tourism outdoor adventures there's lots of different names for it. We call our program nature tourism to encompass the wide range of activities that people I enjoy in the outdoors. Need a citynet is chief of the nature tourism program run by the Maryland DNR. The mission of the program really reflects the department natural resources mission and that is to inspire a stewardship ethic in people by encouraging them to play in the outdoors. A self-guided biking trail led Green Ridge State Forest in western Maryland is one example of what the DNR is promoting. Bill siller is park manager for Green Ridge. This is 11 1/2 mile course about a thousand foot gain or loss in elevation rather throughout the total bike course. But most significantly a feature of relatively minor technical trails and a little bit of a Robot Challenge. We crave those concepts

but the idea of meeting the needs of a wide variety of mountain bikers and their varying fitness levels so this trail for instance there's actually four different what we call easy out option is a place where actually a bike brick and mortar could bail out they get tired and find a very quick return route back to the park. IN CASE WORKER. I want to know how are you know they're a major thrust of the program involves pairing up park visitors with qualified naturalists guides and Outfitters who can help enhance their outdoor experience. This is particularly a great way for novices to get introduced to the outdoors. We don't frankly in the state for some Park Service have the core of naturalists or Rangers that we need to meet that growing demand and so we said hey why not look at the private sector and partner with them so that we can send the public out and to have great experiences new experiences and at the same time support local economies.

In western Maryland. Visitors are frequently sent to Alan Nolan and Harold harsch of Spring Creek Outfitters near Deep Creek. You know we do this 365 days a year. So what the DNR is starting to get the private sector involved in a lot of the stuff that works out well for the DNR they get real experienced people. One of their favorite fishing spots the yak again the river or yacc is among the state's most popular recreation sites for water based activities. They often bring clients here. Good day on the water is a good day on the water to catch fish. That's just a plus. Our guys let's go right down the road. Let's hit the road. Marylanders are fortunate to have a number of rivers and bays flowing through their state's borders on the eastern shore of the Polk river canoe company helps visitors take full advantage of this natural resource. We like to take people up the river and so they can explore say that and that nature or

all the natural things about there are birds kind of thing and just a really really beautiful river to say. Visitors are free to take a canoe or kayak out by themselves or employ the services of a guide and one of the Park Service naturalists. Bob Barker works out of the Snow Hill area. I go out and I am tack to work as a interpreter interpreter in what the people see. It's a very very calm soothing flatwater experience. I know they like some of the mighty rivers of Western Maryland. The thrill seekers love them and they are interesting to say I don't know if I'd want a canoe on White Water canoe on one. But being on the poker which originates in the cypress swamp in Delaware and ends at the Chesapeake Bay is a very very peaceful soothing experience to me and people like me. It's almost like stepping back in time.

Barker says that visitors who canoe the river can expect to be surrounded by all types of wildlife. The guys say they are spraying my lab. River is. One of the most unique rivers that you'll ever canoe on. In your life. As far as I'm concerned. It's a remarkable river and and. We're very happy we're. Here. We want to be able to offer these kind of adventure nature tours and packages to the public so that they can either go out and enjoy these things on their own if they have the skills and the equipment and if they don't we offer the services of a van or an outfit or a guide who can take them out there and. Hopefully inspire them to. To learn how to do it on their own more often in the future. But. When you canoe the creek you can feel like you were back

in time a thousand years. But you would expect the Indians to appear around the bend. They sit here and think it's a very old old place. Steve Hamlin led the effort to save this place. Nassau creek a jewel on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore. Decades ago Steve was Maryland's first state director for the Nature Conservancy which recognized the rarity of Naso one goes towering bald Cypress. Now Nassau Wango takes us to an era long before men drew boundaries called Maryland even long before the sun on a river flooded to become the Chesapeake Bay. The cypress can live to be 2000 years old. During the Pleistocene era. 68 80000 years ago all

of Maryland was Cypress one and connected the Great Dismal Swamp the cypress swamp in Maryland is is greatly reduced to the Pocono excess there are now so long ago and you find hiding in the system much of what's rare what's left. This is their last refuge. Not so long ago creek flows from my chemical county into the Polk a moke river and then into Tangier Sound in the Chesapeake Bay. Uncommon peace pervades not on God. But the fight to preserve it was hard work and high drama.

The original idea to preserve Nason Wango as a huge nature preserve was the idea of Stanton Adkins a Solsbury businessman who had a secret love of nature. And when Stanton told you a certain place was special you better pay attention and he worked very hard for years to make this a reality. This is the spot in 1978 where a group of us put in our canoes to explore the creek and decide if we wanted to turn this into a major project. Because of the the scientific rarity of what lived here about the ecosystem and the species and the lack of disturbance we figured we could create a huge viable preserve. And we prayed that we could raise the money to do it. Stan Adkins had made an initial gift of land to start the preserve. Steve Hamlin knocked on doors up and down the creek politely but persistently

trying to buy more land. The land owners knew they had something special. My granddaddy told me that what grows up there doesn't grow. And if you were saying the same thing is that reinforcing what they already knew. Eventually the good deals came through. Then there was a momentum of going up the creek and they could see how each of the other landowners were cooperate and sweeping up the grid. They could see that I was going to make this happen come hell or high water. Thirty years after we started this preserve and with land acquisition increasing here and with more scientific research the list of rare flora and fauna for the preserve is up to 90 species is one of the last true pieces of wilderness left in the mid-Atlantic

region. Now it's along a creek has turned into one of Nature Conservancy with east coast priorities which makes me feel very good. A few private homes remain along the creek. Jean W. Anderson's family first bought land along the Nassa Wango more than a century ago. My mother's family moved here in 1897 and I've been coming to this area for 80 years. I moved here 35 and a half years ago so the Nassa Wango Creek has always been in my life. These days the creaks keeper is Bill Boston. The Nature Conservancy is not

so Wango Creek project director. I've always heard that Nessa Wango is an Indian word for the land between two waters and that means between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. I never had a bad day on this one though creek. You feel as though you really are going back in time particularly with the cypresses band 400. Some 500 years old. And think of things as being as it was five hundred years ago. Yes one creek is so pristine. Just so special. That. It is really for things its most worth preserving in the state of Maryland. Maryland has very few old growth forests. A lot of places on the eastern shore 50 year old tree is an old tree.

But with time mass along the creek will become an old growth forest. So then in 2 3 400 500 years. These trees will be shooting up through the canopy and. Be so big and it will be our version of the California Redwoods. And. You drop into our website at W W W daughter MP t dot

o r g to send us your comments and suggestions. Learn more about Maryland's diverse natural beauty on our website. And in our magazine. Dno are inspired by nature guided by science outdoors Maryland is made by NPT to serve all of our diverse communities and is made possible by the generous support of our members. Thank you.