Deputy Secretary Dave Goshorn (center) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources staff welcome Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller to DNR’s display at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in 2025. Maryland DNR photo.
Last year marked another significant year for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and our efforts to protect and conserve the natural places and biodiversity that make Maryland a wonderful place to live.
In August, Maryland met the state’s commitment to our Chesapeake Bay partners to restore oyster populations in five Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Staff worked for more than a decade with nonprofit partners, the federal government, and local communities to complete the massive oyster restoration projects in Harris Creek and the Manokin, Little Choptank, St. Mary’s, and Tred Avon rivers. These oyster restoration projects—among the largest in the world—have bolstered oyster populations, created new habitat, and are supporting economic growth for businesses and individuals who depend on a vibrant Chesapeake Bay.
In December, DNR marked another Chesapeake Bay milestone. Maryland Governor Wes Moore led the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council in approving the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, following more than two years of work with scientific advisors, community representatives, and Chesapeake Bay advocates from across the Bay’s watershed. The revised Bay Agreement sets ambitious, yet achievable goals for continued oyster restoration, freshwater mussel restoration, wetlands preservation, waterbirds protection, land conservation, public access, and environmental workforce development, among many others, for the next 15 years.
In the world of land-based restoration efforts, Maryland’s 5 Million Trees program reached more than 1.5 million native trees planted, reflecting strong momentum toward reaching the state’s ambitious goal of planting five million trees by 2031. More than 555,330 trees were planted in Fiscal Year 2025, according to the program’s annual report prepared for the Maryland General Assembly.
DNR also made significant strides to expand public access to parks and outdoor recreation. In February, DNR moved ahead with the purchase of a historic property that will become the first Maryland State Park in Wicomico County–Wetpiquin State Park. DNR leadership and Park Service staff held a public meeting to make sure plans for the new park align with the local character of the community. Currently, the Maryland Park Service is interested in offering historical education programs and passive recreation at Wetipquin.
We also addressed a longstanding issue at some of our most popular parks–visitors facing long traffic lines and capacity closures when trying to visit certain parks on weekends and holidays. In the spring and summer of 2025, the Maryland Park Service launched a new system that requires visitors to make advance reservations for daytime visits on weekends and holidays during the summer season at five different state parks–Greenbrier, Sandy Point, Point Lookout, Newtowne Neck, and North Point. The results were overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to refining this program in 2026.
In June, DNR launched the agency’s new online licensing system, MD Outdoors, for residents and visitors to purchase Maryland hunting and fishing licenses as well as associated stamps and permits, boat and off-road vehicle registrations, and other services. The new system is easier-to-use and includes new features such as the option to turn on auto-renewal for licenses as well as a new app that allows users to purchase and display their licenses on their phones.
All of this work and the countless important efforts that I wasn’t able to mention in this short column were only possible thanks to the dedication of DNR’s staff and the support we receive from Marylanders.
Moving ahead into 2026, we will continue to be guided by data and science while listening to the needs of Marylanders, which has long provided our agency with a path to success.
David Goshorn, Ph.D., is Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. He fills in this month for Secretary Josh Kurtz, who is currently on paternity leave, spending time with his newborn daughter.
