A cooperative between the Chesapeake Bay Field Office and Patuxent Research Refuge, Masonville Cove Nature Area opened in 2012 on a restored Maryland Port Authority site on the Patapsco River. Since then, the Service has continued to work with its partners - The Living Classrooms Foundation, Maryland Department of Transportation-Maryland Port Administration, National Aquarium and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the Harbor City Chapter of The Links, Inc. - to provide jobs, outdoor recreation opportunities and other services to residents in Baltimore and surrounding areas.
Getting the Greater Baltimore Area out to hunt and fish
A second Junior Angler program was held at Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership campus on July 26, 2023 as part of a National Park Service grant to make fishing more accessible to underserved communities in the central Maryland region. This year, Maryland Port Administration (a Masonville Cove partner) co-designed the event with City of Refuge (CoR), a faith group in nearby Brooklyn. On this afternoon, 29 members of CoR spent the late afternoon practicing catch-and-release fishing and relaxing by the water. Most participants caught fish, which included white perch, spot, croaker, and striped bass. The grant include transportation for the group, fishing supplies, and free 1-year Maryland Department of Natural Resources fishing licenses for interested participants. This program wouldn’t have been a success without our many partners involved in planning and/or staffing the event: Maryland Port Administration, Maryland Environmental Service, Seafarers Foundation, the partnership’s WildSTEM interns, and Reece Tremaglio, the youngest sponsored Black angler in the country.
Patuxent Research Refuge hosted several fishing programs for local partners including Zeta Phi Beta, Bowie State University, and a Junior Angler Program in partnership with the National Park Service. BSU students were invited to a day of fishing at the Refuge. Through partnership with the National Park Trust, the University now offers fishing equipment for students to use. With support from MD DNR, Patuxent Research Refuge provided state fishing licenses to BSU students at no cost to reduce barriers and encourage students to continue fishing.
In April 2023, local kids and their families enjoyed a lively Community Recreation Day at Patuxent Research Refuge in partnership with two local Prince Georges County Police precincts. Featured activities included “Cops & Bobbers” fishing at Lake Redington, indoor archery, nature walks on the trails, and a picnic lunch prepared by the police officers themselves. In all, 40 neighboring families – more than 300 people -- experienced the excitement of catching their first fish, releasing an arrow toward a target, and making a connection with the nature around them. Going forward, Patuxent and PGPD plan to host both a fall and a spring community recreation day every year.
Through a partnership with Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Patuxent Research Refuge now hosts a “Reels On Wheels” mobile fishing trailer, fully outfitted with gear and supplies to offer introductory fishing programs for kids through adults, both on-refuge and off-site at other fishing locations around the community. The trailer will extend Patuxent’s reach into areas where lack of transportation to the refuge for fishing opportunities could be a barrier for residents. The colorful and much-anticipated trailer is the result of a nationwide program funded by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation to work with states and other partners to recruit new anglers to fishing.
To remove barriers to the sport of hunting, Patuxent has hosted a mentored hunt each of the past three winters, pairing members of the local community who have never hunted before with experienced volunteer mentors. Thanks to partnership with Maryland DNR and with support from the National Wild Turkey Federation, mentees get time on the practice range, a day long orientation including firearm safety, a scouting session, and at least one hunt. Many pairs develop a relationship and go on to meet up for hunting experiences beyond the refuge. Public demand for this hunting program in such an urbanized area is impressive as evidenced by the 40-60 applicants per year.
Celebrating Urban Wildlife Conservation Day!
On September 23, 2022 Masonville Cove celebrated Urban Wildlife Conservation Day. Family activities included a BioBlitz, as well as kayaking lessons, monarch butterfly tagging, a falconry demonstration, and tours of the dredge material containment facility. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, Martha Williams, joined others on a tour that highlighted the many ways that people can connect with wildlife in urban spaces. Over 100 people attended the daylong celebration, and during the bioblitz over 700 observations were made from 289 species!
Patuxent Research Refuge celebrated Urban Wildlife Conservation Day in October with a variety of fun, educational activities for communities around their local refuge that sits between Washington D.C. and Baltimore. The National Wildlife Visitor Center provided nature-themed chalk art, live monarch butterfly releases, hiking, and crafts for families and youth. Special kayak access on Cash Lake was provided for beginner paddling lessons conducted by Ultimate Watersports. An estimated total of over 450 people connected with nature at Patuxent on the day of the event and discovered the outdoor recreational opportunities that are available to them year-round at their urban wildlife refuge.
On October 2, Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland celebrated Urban Wildlife Conservation Day. The refuge hosted fun, educational activities for its urban community of the Washington D.C. and Baltimore corridor. The National Wildlife Visitor’s Center provided chalk art, live monarch butterfly releases, hiking activities, crafts, as well as a live birds of prey presentation from Rodney’s Raptors. The North Tract Visitor Information Station along with the Meade Natural Heritage Association provided beginner’s pellet gun, fishing, and archery programming as well as interpretive hikes. Special kayak access was allowed for beginner paddling lessons provided by Ultimate Watersports. An estimated total of over 450 participants enjoyed the event while connecting with their environment and their community.
Conservation career development
The WildSTEM interns of Masonville Cove wrapped up their 6-week internship with a graduation ceremony on July 30, 2023. The internship program was created in partnership with the Masonville Cove Partnership, The Harbor City Links, Inc., and Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School; supplemental funding was provided by The Keith Campbell Foundation, Brown Advisory, and Mr. Truman Seamans. The paid internship provided four HBCU students in the Baltimore & DC area with a 40-hour work-study program promoting conservation science career development. The 6-week program provided interns with opportunities to explore environmental careers, network with mentors in the environmental and conservation sectors, and engage in outdoor community programming and wildlife conservation and monitoring. Each partner organization provided opportunities, giving interns a variety of experiences.
Some of the interns’ activities included: time at Patuxent Refuge with the refuge biologist and law enforcement officer, a visit to a solar farm with pollinator habitat, snakehead dissections at Chesapeake Bay Field Office with Fisheries staff, meeting with FWS Deputy Director and Assistant Secretary of the Interior at headquarters, conducting wildlife surveys and outreach programs at Masonville Cove & South Baltimore, a visit to Poplar Island to assist with osprey banding, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Aquarium’s Animal Care Rescue center. The interns each presented a capstone at the graduation ceremony, some of them expressing how their internship experiences had been life-changing and would influence their career paths.
Patuxent Research Refuge continues to prioritize recruitment pathways to increase diversity within the FWS workforce. Early in 2023, the Refuge was invited to Bowie State University’s first Climate Career EXPO, where refuge staff from across multiple programs spoke to students about career opportunities with the USFWS. Patuxent hosted a summer-long Youth Conservation Corps Crew in partnership with MobilizeGreen. MobilizeGreen works to address the diversity leadership gap in green STEM careers by connecting organizations with top-tier talent and providing students with viable pathways to meaningful conservation careers.
Baltimore Lures Birds and Birders
This was the inaugural season of migration bird banding at Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership campus in Baltimore, Maryland, managed by Birds of Urban Baltimore (BUrB), Between March 31 and June 10, 571 individual birds of 53 species were banded by members of BUrB, assisted by Chesapeake Bay Field Office urban biologist, Ela Carpenter, and trained volunteers and staff from Maryland Environmental Service.
Early spring migrants like swamp sparrows, palm warblers, hermit thrushes, and yellow-rumped warblers. The most numerous bird species caught and banded were: common yellowthroat at 90; swamp sparrow at 58; gray catbird at 52; song sparrow at 44; and white-throated sparrow at 41. The most unusual catches of the season included: a grasshopper sparrow; a yellow-breasted chat; and a marsh wren. Some unusual captures for songbird banders included northern rough-winged swallow and barn swallow.
On May 31, a Black Birder’s Week event was hosted at the campus inviting people to watch the process firsthand. Participants were able to observe the bird banding process up close and walk with the bird banders to check mistnets and bird watch along the way. Participants also got to watch all three of Masonville Cove’s recently-fledged bald eaglets practice flying around campus.
Patuxent Research Refuge was selected as the location for the Prince George’s Audubon Society, Patuxent Bird Club, Black Birders Advisory Group, and Experience Prince George's Black Birders’ Week walk. This special bird walk promoted diversity and inclusion in the birding community while highlighting the invaluable contributions of black birders and nature enthusiasts.
