ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking enthusiastic adults to become TEAM (Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland) volunteers. TEAM DNR is a volunteer program committed to educating elementary and middle school students about the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland environmental issues through hands on presentations in classrooms around the state.

“TEAM volunteers are helping to create the next generation of environmental stewards,” said Amy Henry, Conservation Education Specialist at DNR. “Volunteers help students understand the importance of conservation and restoration through hands-on activities and presentations.”

TEAM Volunteers provide an important link between DNR, schools, and students. Since 1998, TEAM DNR volunteers have delivered 1000 classroom programs and inspired more than 30,000 students in Maryland. Currently, TEAM offers schools-free classroom programs on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, streams, oyster reefs, horseshoe crabs, and Chesapeake watermen.

The next volunteer workshop will be held on Friday, July 11, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the first floor conference room of the Tawes State Office Building (580 Taylor Ave. in Annapolis). Participants will be trained on three of the four classroom programs. DNR will provide snacks and beverages, but participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

To register for this workshop, contact Amy Henry at 410-260-8828 or ahenry@dnr.state.md.us.

Volunteers should have an outgoing personality and a strong desire to protect the Chesapeake Bay. While no prior teaching experience is necessary, volunteers should enjoy working with children. For more information, visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/education/teamdnr.

To help ensure that all Maryland children have an opportunity to experience and connect with nature, Governor O’Malley recently signed an Executive Order establishing the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature. This coalition of state, local, private and non-profit partners is charged with promoting the well-being of youth by accelerating environmental learning, connecting communities to parks and public lands and expanding opportunities for structured and unstructured outdoor time in nature for both play and learning.

Labels: Annapolis, chesapeake bay, Department of Natural Resources, DNR, environment, martin o'malley, Maryland, oysters, Tawes State Office Building, Team, watermen, watersheds, wildlife

Head out some 20 miles off Ocean City, Md and there, at a depth of about 90 feet you will find the last stop for 44 subway cars that used to belong to the New York City subway system.

They were dropped off the morning of May 16 as part of a partnership called MARI, the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative.The drop had previously been scheduled for May 13, but the weather proved unlucky, forcing a short postponement.

As it was, things were pretty dicey for a while, thanks to some heavy rainfall the night before which raised concerns of a further cancellation. However, the rains held off, and the day was just rather gloomy. (perhaps appropriate for a "burial" at sea)

In a prepared statement, Maryland Governor Martin O‘Malley called fishing in Maryland, not only a favorite pastime, but also a cultural tradition and source of economic stimulus for local communities.

He said the commitment and accomplishments of the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative partners and the Ocean City Reef Foundation to rebuild marine habitat has been critical to renew the state's valuable fishing heritage and habitat.

This partnership includes the Foundation, MTA New York City Transit, the town of Ocean City, MD, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Marta Bremen, an administrator with the Reef Foundation, said using the cars to create fishing reefs is a great idea. Asked about concerns the process runs the risk of contamination from asbestos or lead paint, she said the cars are cleaned right down to the steel. They are just giant shells, so contamination is not an issue.

Roman Jessian of Maryland’s Coastal Bay Program said the cars will ultimately rust away, probably in about 40 years, leaving a natural reef to attract marine life in all shapes and sizes, from microscopic to larger creatures such as commercial or sport fish. He said this is a good move for the area, as artificial reefs elsewhere have proven to be an effective solution. He predicted life will start to collect in the new reef site within one to three months from the sinking of the cars.

This is the first of five planned artificial reefs off Maryland. They will eventually include about 600 retired subway cars from the Big Apple. Plans are also under discussion to sink a retired destroyer, possibly as soon as September of this year but it's not final.


Since its establishment last year, MARI has raising nearly $1.4 million to support reef projects around the state. This first dump was made possible in part by a $50,000 donation from local residents Jack and Sue Powers. Powers said they‘d seen the Bay go through a lot of changes in the 35 years they‘ve lived in the area.

“It’s been up and down for rockfish, oysters, and crabs, so we were glad to be able to support this project to save the ocean and provide a place for fish to gather.”









Additional Information

Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative
101 Ridgely Avenue, Suite 12-A, Annapolis, MD 21401
mari@ccamd.org or phone: 888-758-6580


Ocean City Reef Foundation
POB 1072, Ocean City, MD 21843
ocreef@msn.com or phone: 410-208-0064

Labels: Big Apple, Coastal Bay Program, crabs, Department of Natural Resources, environment, fishing, MARI, marine habitat, Maryland, MTA, new york city, ocean city, oysters, reef, rockfish, subway