Host Our Coast : Nature Preservation

The Home of the Fox Squirrels

August 8, 2010 8:28 AM | Posted By : Host Our Coast
Nature Preservation

Echoing songs of birds unseen resonated through the forest, drowning out our muffled footsteps as we crept along the soft padding of the floor, guided by Ranger Matt Whitbeck. Neither brush nor bramble hindered our passing, for this was an old growth forest, its ground covering flat and open, making it easy to move amidst the tall mature trees. This is in large part the reason why the Delmarva Fox Squirrel, a federally endangered species, prefers the woodlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge over most other habitats.

Restoring the Bay One Million Oysters at a Time

July 31, 2010 8:30 AM | Posted By : Host Our Coast
Nature Preservation

For more than 40 years Maryland has had to put up with a special kind of bug; one that thrives in the warm, salty waters of the Chesapeake, and in great proportions, starves oysters to death. These parasites carry two diseases - Dermo and MSX, which though not harmful to humans, is lethal to oyster populations.

Caring for the Dunes

July 29, 2010 9:00 AM | Posted By : Host Our Coast
Nature Preservation

The MD Civic Justice Corps and the Coastal Stewards banded together this week to clean and preserve Ocean City's symbol of security: the dunes.

These man-made sand-dunes along the beaches are vital to the protection of private property within the city limits. During storm surges - which are not uncommon - when water levels flow higher than the average tides, the force of the waves threaten to wreak massive devastation upon the city, but instead they crash upon the man-made dunes and are deflected. Given the manner which the attractions, revenue, and jobs provided through Ocean City are all spared from an untimely end, these dunes deserve the attention they are given, cresting the beach as victorious warders of danger.

Written by Erik Yount. Photography by Errol Webber.

Getting the Kids Out Into Nature

July 25, 2010 12:53 PM | Posted By : Host Our Coast
Nature Preservation

Birding, catching marine life, and spending time out under the sun in the shallows of the bay are all a part of the BioBlitz Day Camp. What you hear are the youthful participants taking a bio-inventory of North Side Park in Ocean City. Species caught in the nets are placed in tanks and cataloged. It is a great opportunity for kids to learn about the variety of creatures in the bay and how they relate to one-another. They also get hands-on experience in doing what field-biologists do.

Dolphin Research

July 19, 2010 2:15 PM | Posted By : Host Our Coast
Nature Preservation

When you watch the Discovery Channel or read National Geographic, you're going to be hit with fact upon fact. That's why you watch or read material of that character, so you can know things like the variety of insects in this bird's diet, or what time that rodent comes out at night. They provide you with intimate details that help you get to know and understand the billions of crawlers and fliers and swimmers who share the world with us human beings. What you don't often get to see is what the researchers are doing to make that information available. After all, someone had to watch and wait to witness the nesting habits of the glossy ibis, or track the migration of fish. For the expedition team participating in the Dolphin Count, that's what it was all about: watching and waiting.

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