Items of Interest:

Snakehead Invaders Spread to the Rhode (Jul 19, 2011)
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Shorelines.
Scientists have discovered a northern snakehead in Anne Arundel County. Biologists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center were taking annual fish samples last week when they found the 23-inch egg-bearing snakehead in the Rhode River. Scientists are exploring whether low salinity levels in the Chesapeake Bay allowed the snakehead to travel to Rhode River.

Citizen Science: New Website Launched Making it Easier to Report Sightings of Chinese Mitten Crabs (May 2011)
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Are you a crabber, waterman, or concerned citizen? We need your help to detect and assess the status of Chinese Mitten Crabs along the Atlantic and the Gulf Coasts. Recently a new website, Mitten Crab Watch, has been launched to provide information on the invasion of the mitten crab and to allow users to more easily report catches.

Remove A Snakehead And Win: DNR to Offer Recognition and Prizes to Anglers Who Catch and Kill Snakeheads (Apr 15, 2011)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
In an effort to stem the spread of the invasive snakehead fish, anglers have the opportunity to win prizes for catching snakeheads. From now until Dec 31, 2011, anyone who catches a Northern snakehead with a hook-and-line and posts the catch including a photo of the dead fish on DNR’s Angler's Log will be entered into a year end drawing.

Maryland Invasive Plant Bill Set to Become Law (Apr 6, 2011)
Anacostia Watershed Society.
The invasive plant bill (HB 831) will deal with the the nursery trade of invasive plant species in the state of Maryland.  It will employ a comprehensive science-based risk assessment protocol that will generate a tiered list of the state’s invasive plants.  It will ban the most highly invasive species and includes a provision that will require retailers to post signs, warning consumers of the environmental hazards of these plants. This bill is a much needed measure to address and contribute to curbing the invasive plant species problem from its main root cause without affecting the horticultural industry or the state's budget. Hopefully it will serve as a model for other states in the country.

DNR Bans Felt Soles In Maryland Waters (Mar 17, 2011)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is banning felt soles in Maryland waters beginning Mar 22, 2011 to protect and preserve native wildlife and habitats. See the Felt-Soles Ban - FAQ (PDF | 59 KB) for more information.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found In A White-Tailed Deer In Maryland (Feb 10, 2011)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
A white-tailed deer harvested in Maryland has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Chronic Wasting Disease is a transmissible neurological disease of deer and elk that produces small lesions in brains of infected animals. Maryland joins 20 other states and Canadian provinces with CWD documented in deer, elk or moose.

DNR Study Confirms Threats To Native Crayfish (Apr 26, 2010)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
A new study finds several species of native Maryland crayfish are declining because of the introduction and spread of invasive crayfish. The threat looms large, especially with the first-ever discovery of the Rusty Crayfish, one of the most notorious invasive species, in three Maryland watersheds in 2007 and 2008.

White Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Bats From Western Maryland Cave (Mar 18, 2010)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Biologists have confirmed that bat carcasses collected from a cave near Cumberland on Mar 5, 2010 were infected with White Nose Syndrome (WNS). This is the first confirmed WNS case in Maryland.

Invasive Algae Found In Savage River: Didymo Found Below Savage River Reservoir (Dec 16, 2009)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that didymo, an invasive non-native algae has been found in the Savage River below Savage River Reservoir. Didymo's appearance in popular trout fishing areas indicates that it is being spread by anglers, particularly by felt-sole boots. For more information, visit Department of Natural Resource Recreational Fisheries and Maryland Invasive Species Web sites.

Report Invasive Plant Pest in Maryland
Maryland Department of Agriculture.
PLEASE CALL: 410.841.5920

State Specific Threats:

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species List - Maryland or Display NAS by Taxonomic Group (select State)
DOI. USGS. Southeast Ecological Science Center.
Includes fact sheets, maps and collection information.

State Noxious Weed List - Maryland
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center. PLANTS Database.
Designated legally noxious plants.

Status of Invasive Plants - Maryland / Details by State and Details by County
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System.

Pest Tracker - Maryland
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Forest Threat Summary Viewer - Maryland
USDA. FS. Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center.
See what threats (invasive plants, insects and diseases) are in my state.

States Restricting Firewood Movement and/or Advocating Leaving Firewood at Home: Who is Affected?
Don't Move Firewood.