We teamed up with Carroll County Public Schools this week, with a special permit from Maryland DNR, to collect spotted #salamander egg masses for local high schools. Each egg mass holds dozens of developing salamanders! Students will hatch, feed, and study them. Then, we'll return them to the wild.
A scientific illustration of a biofilms disc with stentors, a whip mud worm, and a feeding barnacle
Our Biofilms and Biodiversity lessons have been updated with videos and stunning new illustrations! This program examines colonies of organisms that grow on discs suspended in local waters. Peer into the microscopic communities of marine biofilms at loom.ly/l6lG3BE.
We're excited to share this special edition of the Sea Grant Law & Policy Journal, developed through the Chesapeake Rising symposium we held with Environmental Law Institute and Georgetown Climate Center last year. It explores environmental challenges in the Chesapeake Bay: https://loom.ly/A7JgvCM
From blooming bloodroot and pungent skunk cabbage to the calls of osprey and chorus of spring peepers, the #ChesapeakeBay watershed is full of signs that warmer days are on the way. What are your favorite reminders of spring? Explore more from the Chesapeake Bay Program: https://loom.ly/IbH3yAQ
The US Capitol building. Floating text reads "Open: Sea Grant 2027 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Application Deadline: June 3, 2026. Apply now! #SeaGrantOpportunities"
Applications are open for the 2027 Knauss Fellowship, a paid, one-year opportunity. Fellows work in Washington, DC, in legislative or executive branch offices that support weather, ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes priorities, translating science into policy: https://loom.ly/if6MM5s
Community Science Cafe flyer for Saturday, April 11 from noon - 2 p.m. at Green Street Academy at 125 N Hilton St, Baltimore, MD 21229
Join us for a free Community Science Cafe at Green Street Academy this Saturday, April 11, from noon to 2 p.m. Learn about aquaponics, hear from students raising fish and plants in the classroom, tour the aquaculture lab, and enjoy fresh seafood from Fishnet. We hope to see you there!
A young woman in a long apron on a boat holds a crab in her hands. Floating text says "Fellowship Experiences"
As a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, Casey Willson worked with the NOAA Climate Program Office to support programs that help communities adapt to climate change. In a new blog post, she reflects on lessons learned at the intersection of climate science, policy, and resilience: https://loom.ly/lQ-Dd0I
Stay connected to science and stories from around the Chesapeake Bay!
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The cover of the children's book "Salamander Season" by Jennifer Keats Curtis, J. Adam Frederick, and Shennen Bersani
Celebrate #ChildrensBookDay with "Salamander Season." Co-authored by our assistant director of education, J. Adam Frederick, it tells the story of a girl and her scientist farther who venture out on a rainy spring night to find spotted salamanders migrating to a vernal pool: https://loom.ly/4XnqjG8
An educator gives two thumbs up to a group of students visiting his table during a STEM Unbound event
We had an awesome time at STEM Unbound 2026 last week! 290 middle school students from the Baltimore area dove into the fields of marine science, aerospace, robotics, biology, health, geology, and cryptology. It was a great day for STEM exploration.
Photo: David McIntosh Photographics
An osprey in a tree holding onto a fish in its talons. Floating text reads "Marsh Madness Winner: Osprey"
Your Marsh Madness champion is...the osprey! 🦅 The raptor rose to the top of the bracket, defeating the North American river otter in the championship round. Thanks to everyone who voted in this year's tournament, celebrating some of the fascinating creatures that call the Bay home!
Take a trip back in time for #ChesapeakeOysterWeek. Our new blog post details the rescue of an early 20th century folio of Maryland oyster charts. Read the fascinating history of the Yates Bars survey: loom.ly/epC6Pww
A flyer with a photo of a wooden pier in a body of water and floating text that reads "State Science Policy Fellowship. Work in coastal sustainability, coastal management, and environmental policy. Eligibility: open to graduate students who have advanced to PhD candidacy or completed an MS, PhD, or JD by fall 2026. Apply by May 1, 2026."
Are you a current or recent grad student looking for hands-on science policy experience? Our State Science Policy Fellowship matches you with a Maryland host office in coastal sustainability, management, and environmental policy. Learn more and apply: https://loom.ly/fvl6juE
Extension specialist Eric Buehl squats down along a paved path and points to ferns in a garden
Reminder! Join our extension team for Cabin Fever, hosted by Global Methodist Church and Elk and North East Rivers Watershed Association. This free family event has activities focused on the environment and the outdoors.
📆 March 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
📍 Moore’s Chapel, 392 Blake Road, Elkton, MD
An osprey perches on a tree branch holding a large fish under its talons
Have you heard the piercing, chirping call of an osprey around the Chesapeake Bay? These birds return each spring to nest in open water and along shorelines and marshes. They rely on the Bay for food, shelter, and a place to raise their young.
Oyster cages floating in open water. Floating text reads "Maryland Sea Grant provides crucial support for Chesapeake Bay research, our aquaculture economy, and Maryland's watermen community. -Maryland constituent"
Last year, 18,000+ people across the nation signed letters and contacted Congress to voice support for Sea Grant. We're asking for your help again to ensure congressional delegations hear from you while budgets are being finalized in March. Please sign our letter of support: https://loom.ly/acV_mQU
A student in a lab coat stands behind a few small jars of different colored microalgae. Floating text says "Fellowship Experiences"
A display table on microalgae research set up at the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall. Floating text says "I prepared to share a story most people have never heard, about how microorganisms found in oceans, lakes, soils, and even snow are shaping the future of biotechnology. -Abdulmajid Alrefai"
What’s it like to step out of the lab and into a museum? During his Knauss Fellowship, Abdulmajid Alrefaie joined the “Expert Is In” program at Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall. He spoke with visitors about microalgae and how ocean science connects to everyday lives. Read more: https://loom.ly/5-ffH-U
Researchers wearing waders and wetsuits walk through shallow water at the edge of a marsh. Floating text reads "Internship opportunity: Community college research internship. Apply by March 20, 2026"
Are you a community college student interested in coastal science? Apply for our research internship! During this eight-week summer program, you'll be paired with a science mentor and conduct marine research on the #ChesapeakeBay. Apply by March 20: https://loom.ly/kuY9y8Y
An illustration of a living shoreline with marsh grasses behind a rock sill along the water's edge. A great blue heron and a turtle perch on separate rocks
Love using art to depict science? 🎨 Apply for our science illustration internship! We're looking for a student or recent grad who wants to sharpen their skills and work with scientists to translate coastal and marine science into visual art. Apply by March 30: https://loom.ly/3y33wCY
12th annual Cabin Fever event flyer with a photo of an extension specialist at an outreach table speaking to a guest; text on the flyer says "Sat, March 21; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Moore's Chapel, 392 Blake Rd, Elkton, MD; free, family-friendly event with a focus on the environment and the outdoors!"
Join our extension team for Cabin Fever, hosted by Global Methodist Church and Elk and North East Rivers Watershed Association. This free family event has activities, crafts, and talks focused on the environment and outdoors.
📆 March 21, 10 am-2 pm
📍 Moore’s Chapel, 392 Blake Road, Elkton, MD
Ripe, red American plums grow on tree branches with green leaves
This year, #WorldWildlifeDay is all about the role plants play in environment and human health. We're spotlighting a local food forest: the White Marsh Park Edible Trail. The trail offers blueberries, American plums, hazelnuts, black chokeberries, and persimmons. All free for park visitors to take!
Flyer for Maryland Law and Policy Fellowship. Text says "Work at the interface of law, policy, and environmental research. Eligibility: Must have earned a JD or equivalent LLM in the last three years. Apply by: April 15, 2026"
Illustration of oysters and waves with a quote: "This fellowship allowed me to build meaningful connections across the Chesapeake Bay community while advancing efforts to protect coastal communities facing changing conditions." - Kerry M., 2024-2026 Fellow"
Ready to work alongside legal experts and scientists at the intersection of law, policy, and the environment? Maryland Law and Policy Fellows conduct legal scholarship and offer educational assistance on coastal environmental issues in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. Apply: https://loom.ly/Gp_ynbY
Book cover with picture of blue crabs and text reading The Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, Victor S. Kennedy and L. Eugene Cronin, Editors
Sale Alert! 🦀 Our book, The Blue Crab, is on sale for $25! This reference work contains 800 pages of blue crab science and history. Crafted by leading marine scientists, it's a must-have for the shelves of students, researchers, and Chesapeake Bay lovers. Order your copy today: loom.ly/uGM-uQE.
Abdulmajid Alrefaie stands behind the large wooden wheel of a ship
A boat alongside an open-ocean fish farming pens off the Kona coast of Hawai‘i
Manta rays pass over a reef in the ocean
A restored loko iʻa fishpond at Kīholo Preserve on Hawai‘i Island with clear water and a tree in the foreground
"Some trips change how you see a place; others change how you see the world," says Knauss marine policy fellow Abdulmajid Alrefaie. A congressional delegation trip to Hawaii and California gave him a new lens on how science, culture, and climate adaptation shape ocean policy: https://loom.ly/excDe5Q
A photo of an educator and two college-aged students wearing life vests aboard a research vessel and looking at something in the educator's hand. Text on the image says "Internship opportunity, community college research internship, for best consideration: apply by March 20, 2026." The Maryland Sea Grant logo is in the bottom lefthand corner
Are you a community college student interested in coastal science? Apply for our summer research internship! During this eight-week program, you'll be paired with a science mentor and conduct marine research on the #ChesapeakeBay. Apply by March 20: https://loom.ly/kuY9y8Y
A person's arm holding a recently caught blue catfish, with fishing rods and water visible in the background
Have you tried #Chesapeake wild-caught #BlueCatfish? Curious to know how it tastes, what its nutritional value is, and where you can find it? Learn more in a new fact sheet from Maryland Sea Grant Extension: https://loom.ly/aRWXq9Q
A boat on water with text overlaid that reads "Maryland Sea Grant supports local jobs and provides vital technical support to local government. - Maryland constituent" with the Maryland Sea Grant logo at the bottom
Last year, 18,000+ people across the nation signed letters and contacted Congress to voice support for Sea Grant. We're asking for your help again to ensure congressional delegations hear from you while budgets are being finalized in March. Please sign our letter of support: https://loom.ly/acV_mQU
Cover of Chesapeake Quarterly magazine issue "The Nature of Learning: Environmental Education for the Next Generation" featuring hands holding a small crayfish
Have you read our latest issue of Chesapeake Quarterly magazine? Follow students as they raise hundreds of fish in aquaculture tanks, design studies on the spotted salamander's unique symbiosis with green algae, explore sustainable food systems, and more. Find it free online: https://loom.ly/5PYztzk
Aiman Raza wears a life jacket and holds two small sharks aboard a research vessel. Text on the image says "Fellowship Experiences"
Aiman Raza's eyes grew wide as an 11-foot female tiger shark emerged from the inky black depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Read about her experience aboard research vessel Oregon II for NOAA's Southeast Fishery Science Center's shark and red snapper bottom longline survey >> https://loom.ly/J4qw5o4
Share this with someone you’d swim 200 miles for, and help us spread the love for science, resilient coastal communities, and a healthy Chesapeake Bay. Happy Valentine’s Day from Maryland Sea Grant! 💙🐟
