Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development

In spring 2024 Western Maryland RC&D Councils Western Maryland Afforestation Program completed our largest planting year to date. We partnered with the Maryland Forest Service and 18 landowners to establish native forests on 178.9 acres of private and public land in Garrett Allegany Washington and Frederick Counties Maryland including 76.8 acres of new riparian buffer and plantings on 17.46 acres of formerly mined lands. In addition to providing wildlife habitat and water quality benefits in the local watersheds of western Maryland these plantings will improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay by reducing the flow of nutrients into the Bay. Estimated annual nutrient reductions achieved by these projects include 149.89 pounds of Phosphorus 5,210.52 pounds of Nitrogen and 320.46 tons of suspended solids. In partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Services Game Bird Program WMRC&D Council employs one full-time Natural Resources Technician Maddy Ondo and two seasonal technicians in support of the Maryland Wild Turkey Research Project. Beginning in late 2022 the project has sought to examine variation in female turkey survival and reproductive success in two study sites in Maryland one in western Maryland and one in the mid-lower eastern shore. The projects goal is to understand the causes of declining populations and broaden current understanding of turkey reproductive ecology in the Mid-Atlantic region. The project also investigates wild turkey disease in varying landscapes. This year turkey trapping occurred between January and April 2024 with a total of 314 total turkeys captured. 85 GPS radio-transmitters were deployed and the rest of the turkeys were leg-banded. Combined with turkeys surviving from 2023 turkeys captured in 2024 provided an excellent sample size at the start of nesting season which runs from April to July in Maryland. Technicians tracked each bird multiple times per week and collected an enormous amount of data. Over the course of 2023 WMRC&D Council partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service in order to complete the Snaggy Mountain Shared Use Trail Bridge Replacement Project which consisted of the replacement of four existing wooden bridges in Potomac-Garrett State Forest with new fiberglass bridges rated for 10,000 lbs. GVW. The project area is situated between Swallow Falls and Herrington Manor State Parks two very popular parks that attract thousands of visitors each year. To complete the project WMRC&D coordinated with Maryland Forest Service to procure bridge removal engineering design build and construction management services. Each year the goal of the Western Maryland Reforestation Program is to implement native tree plantings on a large scale in order to provide the region with the associated benefits; including the improvement of the water quality of local watersheds and the Chesapeake.