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Students From Across Maryland Release Classroom Raised Horseshoe Crabs
Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program celebrates 11 years
Annapolis, MD — More than 80 students from all over Maryland released classroom raised horseshoe crabs into the Bay at Sandy Point State Park today, as part of the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) multi-partner education program that teaches students about this vital resource. Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom a hands-on program through which children learn about the issues the horseshoe crab population faces, and how the DNR manages the species.
“This is truly an outstanding program,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Here we have children studying the horseshoe crab in school – its life cycle, its contributions to our ecosystem and human health, and the management issues surrounding it – and then going out to the beach to release the crabs they’ve raised into their natural habitat. We not only talk about children connecting with nature and growing to become informed, responsible stewards of our planet. Through programs like this, we put that commitment to action.”
Through the program, teachers are provided with the equipment, an activity guide and horseshoe crab eggs to support the learning of ecological, medical and historical importance of the species. Schools participating in the program include elementary, middle and high schools in the public, private, and home-school domains throughout the State of Maryland.
In April 2008 Governor Martin O’Malley established the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature (CIN) by Executive Order, to develop and implement a plan to provide youth with structured and unstructured opportunities for play, outdoor recreation, learning and scientific study and an environmental literacy plan. The Partnership presented its report and recommendations to the Governor on April 21, 2009, as the Governor announced the Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. Last year under the CIN initiative, Governor O’Malley created the Maryland Civic Justice Corps, a summer job and environmental education program that employs at risk youth in Maryland State Parks, which will be expanding this summer. During the 2009 legislative session, the O’Malley-Brown Administration secured record funding for Maryland’s #1 ranked public schools for the third consecutive year, investing more than $5.5 billion this year in our schools.
For more information on the Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program, check out DNROnline (http://dnr.maryland.gov) or contact Laura Rowan at 410-260-8775 or by email at lrowan@dnr.state.md.us.
View the Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights at http://www.governor.maryland.gov/documents/OutdoorBillOfRights.pdf.
May 19, 2009 Contact: Josh Davidsburg
410-260-8002
jdavidsburg@dnr.state.md.usMaryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov