Exploring & Preserving Maryland's Natural Treasures
Search for trilobites at this private quarry with volunteer leaders from our NHSM Fossil Club. The mostly shale rock from the Middle Devonian Mahantango Formation is home to a diverse set of prehistoric life including brachiopods, bryozoans, mollusks, corals, graptolites, and even cephalopods, squid-like animals with shells. Trilobites, the site’s main draw, originate from one […]
Cost: $5-25
Join master forager Nick Spero to learn about the varied wild edibles available in June. Focusing on the Cromwell Valley area, we will sample plants such as spicebush and learn how to prepare native milkweed and American Pokeberry for safe eating. Come along to see how many other tasty and nutritious wild plants can be […]
Cost: $30-45
What do thousands of horseshoe crabs do when the evening tide is high and the spring moon is new or full? Grab your flashlight to see a spawning so huge that people travel to view it from around the world. The scene begins with male horseshoe crabs waiting along the water’s edge. As a female […]
Cost: $25-35
What do thousands of horseshoe crabs do when the evening tide is high and the spring moon is new or full? Grab your flashlight to see a spawning so huge that people travel to view it from around the world. The scene begins with male horseshoe crabs waiting along the water’s edge. As a female […]
Cost: $25-35
If crack-of-dawn birding excursions aren’t your thing, maybe it’s time to give moth-watching a try. Since moths come out when the sun goes down, moth-watching, or mothing, is a great activity for night owls. In partnership with the DNR, join moth expert Tim Hoen, Ranger Jen Cashell, and our team of volunteer experts in exploring […]
Cost: $4-5
Located in Montross, VA (on the south side of the Potomac River, adjacent to Westmoreland State Park), Stratford Cliffs are part of the Calvert Formation, a rare geological phenomenon along the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Among the most important fossil research sites in the Mid-Atlantic region, they were formed when land replaced an ancient […]
Cost: $30
Look to the sky along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline and you’ll likely see an osprey. The Bay supports the largest osprey breeding population in the world. From a low of 1,500 breeding pairs due to DDT contamination in the 1970s, osprey populations have rebounded to an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs in the mid-Atlantic. […]
Cost: $30-45
Can’t afford to buy your own island? Could you build one instead? It’s not impossible if you’re part of the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project, located on Poplar Island. Poplar Island slipped away into the Chesapeake Bay, dwindling from 2,000 to two acres throughout hundreds of years. This island’s fate was commonplace with records […]
Cost: $0-15
Enjoy a front row seat to one of nature’s greatest shows as we guide you past Wade Island, one of the largest nesting islands for wading birds in Pennsylvania. You will be surrounded by tiny and adult great egrets, black-crowned night herons, double-crested cormorants, and more! This section of the Susquehanna River has a few […]
Cost: $70-100
As masters of ecosystem engineering, the beavers’ amazing talent for dam construction makes many farmers and land owners consider them pests. However, their role in the ecosystem proves useful in helping to manage water-related issues such as drought, flooding, and water pollution. Join us for a walk with Ranger Bill Curtis to learn how to read […]
Cost: $10-20