Landscapes again bloom with color. Boaters undertake the annual ritual of preparing all manner of craft for open water. Anglers clamor to take advantage of the yellow perch run, freshwater trout stockings and opening day for stripers. Creatures large and small, mature and newly arrived, emerge from cave and cocoon. The great outdoors come alive.

This issue of The Natural Resource celebrates the new season, and along with it some of the new technologies that are giving professionals and laypersons far more insight into our natural world, and far more groundbreaking management options, than we ever dreamed possible.

As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, I know first-hand the joys of paddling a secluded creek, hooking the first "big one" of the year, watching the sunrise from an Eastern Shore duck-blind, hiking along the Appalachian Trail...

So for me it is an honor and a pleasure, both professionally and personally, to serve Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. and the citizens of Maryland as Natural Resources Secretary. I assume my role as caretaker with great joy and great reverence.

The citizens of Maryland want a DNR that is responsive, efficient, friendly and respectful. The citizens of Maryland deserve a say in how their natural resources are managed, for today and for the future. I wholeheartedly believe that by inviting all players to the table, by remaining willing to listen and open to debate, we can balance Marylanders' conservation and recreation needs and desires with healthy resources.

Together we can and will make a difference.