Maryland Natural

Maryland Natural Resources Police reported that they stopped a 15-foot boat in Liberty Reservoir near Eldersburg on Saturday and arrested its operator.Gerald A. Clark, 28, of Glen Burnie was charged with operating a boat while intoxicated, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police said.The charge carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or one year in prison, according to the spokeswoman.FIRE* Eldersburg: Sykesville responded to a trash container fire in the 1900 block of Liberty Road at 9:46 a.m. Sunday.

Maryland Natural Resources Police is investigating the shooting death of a bald eagle that was found Friday in Allegany County near the Pennsylvania line. The mature eagle was found by a farm caretaker along the banks of Evitts Creek, just west of Rocky Gap State Park. "It was probably sitting in a tree when it was shot in the chest," said NRP Sgt. Art Windemuth. "It couldn't have been mistaken for anything else. It had the white head and tail and golden beak and talons. It was the American symbol in full plumage.

Police remind fishermen to observe boating rulesMaryland Natural Resources Police remind night fishermen at Piney Run Regional Park to observe Maryland fishing and boating regulations, including during the night fishing events scheduled on Wednesday evenings in October.Lights are required to be displayed on all vessels operating between sunset and sunrise. All motorboats, including those with electric motors, must display a combination red and green bow light and an all-round (360 degrees)

Maryland Natural Resources Police are investigating a fatal boating accident on Saturday involving a 45-year-old man from Westminster. According to Natural Resources Police, officers were dispatched to the Chesapeake Isles Community along the Elk River June 25 to investigate a capsized vessel and persons in distress. The vessel had taken on water before capsizing in a mooring area near the private community, police said. The operator and three passengers were pulled from the water by nearby witnesses who found the operator unconscious.

Four young people swimming in the Patapsco River late yesterday afternoon spotted a man's body in the water near Interstate 895 in Brooklyn Park, Maryland Natural Resources Police said. The youths alerted authorities shortly before 5 p.m. Police from the Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Transportation Authority and Anne Arundel County were investigating. DNR spokeswoman Heather Lynch said last night the man had not been identified, and that the body appeared to have been in the water for several days.

A recreational boater discovered a body floating in the water about a mile north of the Bay Bridge yesterday, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police, which is investigating the matter. Sgt. Kenneth B. Turner, a spokesman for the police agency, said the boater radioed the Coast Guard after finding the body, and the Coast Guard, in turn, alerted his agency at 11:23 a.m. "Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the scene," Turner said.

5 boats found; link to 3 other thefts suspectedMaryland Natural Resources Police recovered yesterday five more boats reported stolen since last weekend, all linked to three other stolen vessels found this week, including Pat Sajak's 26-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser.Police said yesterday that they think all eight thefts are related. The five boats were recovered yesterday in Stoney Creek, some adrift and others beached on private property along the shore.Three 25-foot Bayliners owned by Pasadena and Glen Burnie HTC residents had been stolen from the Stoney Creek Bridge Marina.

John W. Rhoads Sr. will take over as superintendent of the Maryland Natural Resources Police July 5, Department of Natural Resources Secretary Torrey C. Brown said yesterday.Mr. Rhoads, 58, is chairman of the Prince George's County Planning Board and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The Bowie resident was Prince George's County police chief from 1975 to 1979 and has had 22 years of law enforcement experience.He will replace Col. Franklin I. Wood, who announced his retirement May 25 amid complaints of racial bias and sexual harassment on the 223-member force.

Maryland Natural Resources Police continue to investigate the shooting of a Baltimore man who is accused of illegally hunting deer in Carroll County over the weekend.Police have determined that the injured man did not shoot himself during the incident that occurred on private property near Reese, said Bob Graham, spokesman for natural resources police.But police still want to interview the man.He remains in critical condition at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, Mr. Graham said.Brian Edward Johnson, 36, who suffered a shotgun wound to the chest, had been hunting with a 20-year-old man and two juveniles, age 15 and 16, Mr. Graham said.

Maryland Natural Resources Police have recovered the body of a man who was reported missing after his boat capsized Saturday near the Bay Bridge. James Thomas, 44, of the 5600 block of Whitby Road in Baltimore was boating with four family members in a 16-foot runabout when the vessel began sinking late Saturday. The others aboard -- including three children ages 8, 11 and 12 -- made it to shore safely early Sunday, police said. Early yesterday, an angler spotted a body in the Chesapeake Bay, west of Love Point.

The future of America's great outdoors is in the hands of Congress this week. On Wednesday, it is likely both the House and the Senate will have a historic opportunity to support and reinvigorate the nation's key program for protecting our lands and waters. Since 1965, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been instrumental in preserving iconic national landmarks, wildlife refuges, working farms and ranches, and state and local parks. With America now losing 3 million acres every year to development, ensuring full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund is more critical than ever.

The Natural History Society of Maryland houses a wall of cloudy-eyed snakes, drawers full of fossils, rocks, and skeletal remains of behemoths, shelves displaying Native American artifacts and glass-enclosed cases with mounted birds. More than 50,000 specimens, some preserved for more than a century, pay testament to the state's rich natural heritage and the society's tenacity at saving them. "We are about natural history here," said Ginger Mihalik, executive director of the society founded 80 years ago in Baltimore.

An Ellicott City man whose stray bullet shattered the front window of a Howard County day care center last week has been charged with negligent hunting by Maryland Natural Resources Police. Investigators said yesterday that Richard Vernon Hoenes Jr., 41, fired his shotgun several times Dec. 10 at a deer that was between him and Kids Time Out in Clarksville. One of the slugs traveled about 277 yards through a farm field and woods, and hit the window. The slug was found on the windowsill.

A recreational boater discovered a body floating in the water about a mile north of the Bay Bridge yesterday, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police, which is investigating the matter. Sgt. Kenneth B. Turner, a spokesman for the police agency, said the boater radioed the Coast Guard after finding the body, and the Coast Guard, in turn, alerted his agency at 11:23 a.m. "Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the scene," Turner said.

The body of a 35-year-old man who fell from the stern of a fishing boat Sunday night was recovered in the Patuxent River in Calvert County yesterday morning, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said. A boater found the body of William Linden O'Neill III of Prince Frederick about a mile southwest of the mouth of St. Leonards Creek at 8:22 a.m., said Sgt. Ken Turner, spokesman for the Natural Resources Police. O'Neill had fallen from a 35-foot boat about 9 p.m. Sunday night. Three other people were on board.

State police officers marched into the hearing room with a firm demand: Don't merge the Maryland Natural Resources Police with our agency. Lawmakers listened, and the idea eventually died. The scene inside the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis last month reflected some of the complications underlying Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s promise to make state government leaner and more efficient. With the 2004 session of the Maryland General Assembly concluding last week without new taxes or expanded gambling, Ehrlich and his fiscal aides are looking for ways to chop the $830 million projected deficit that awaits them next year.

A Baltimore man remained in critical but stable condition in the Maryland Shock Trauma Center last night after being shot in the chest while illegally hunting deer in Carroll County over the weekend, authorities said.Brian Edward Johnson, 36, was shot Saturday while hunting with three other people on private property near Reese, said Bob Graham, spokesman for Maryland Natural Resources Police. Mr. Johnson's shotgun discharged into his chest.Police, who have received conflicting statements from witnesses, are still investigating to determine if the shooting was accidental or self-inflicted, Mr. Graham said Sunday.

The body of a 35-year-old man who fell from the stern of a fishing boat Sunday night was recovered in the Patuxent River in Calvert County yesterday morning, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said. A boater found the body of William Linden O'Neill III of Prince Frederick about a mile southwest of the mouth of St. Leonards Creek at 8:22 a.m., said Sgt. Ken Turner, spokesman for the Natural Resources Police. O'Neill had fallen from a 35-foot boat about 9 p.m. Sunday night. Three other people were on board.

A poisonous pet snake that bit its owner's girlfriend while loose in the owner's Annapolis apartment last week has been identified as a water moccasin, a spokesman from the Department of Natural Resources said yesterday. The highly venomous water moccasin, or cottonmouth, is found in swampy areas of the Southern United States. It is not indigenous to Maryland. It is more dangerous than the two species of venomous snakes - the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake - that are native to Maryland.

Four young people swimming in the Patapsco River late yesterday afternoon spotted a man's body in the water near Interstate 895 in Brooklyn Park, Maryland Natural Resources Police said. The youths alerted authorities shortly before 5 p.m. Police from the Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Transportation Authority and Anne Arundel County were investigating. DNR spokeswoman Heather Lynch said last night the man had not been identified, and that the body appeared to have been in the water for several days.