Susquehannock Wildlife Society

05/30/2026

We love the Maryland Master Naturalist program! This is a great opportunity to join the proud list of trained naturalists at an excellent local host site!

05/29/2026

We’re so excited to see this local project already proving to be a success!

05/26/2026

Deer Creek is such an incredible local treasure cherished by both our community and wildlife alike

05/25/2026

We would like to take the opportunity this Memorial Day to remember those who have fought, sacrificed and fallen to protect our country that is home to both us humans and wildlife alike. You will not be forgotten.

05/23/2026

In honor of World Turtle Day we are resharing one of our favorite observations during our research on the rare and declining Wood Turtle!

05/23/2026

Today is World Turtle Day! As you may have figured out by now, we really love turtles here at Susquehannock Wildlife Society and we show our admiration for these incredible, ancient creatures by conducting research and working to protect our native species right here in Harford County. Here we have some of the best turtle diversity in Maryland including protected rare and declining species such as the Bog Turtle, Wood Turtle, Spotted Turtle, and Northern Map Turtle. We all can help our turtles by not taking wild turtles as pets and leaving them in the wild, not releasing pet turtles into the wild, supporting legislation and land trusts or conservation groups that protect turtle habitat, helping turtles cross the road in the direction they were heading, and investing in non-profits like ours that conduct research, educate the public, and help promote conservation.

05/15/2026

Today is National Endangered Species Day! We want to take the opportunity to not only celebrate the restoration successes and highlight the incredible species that we could have lost without protections, but also the hard working conservationists that tirelessly fight every day to prevent us from losing so many precious parts of our natural heritage before it's too late.

When we talk about rare or threatened species, it's hard to not mention the Endangered Species Act and state level protections that are unfortunately required to help protect habitat, restore populations, fund research, and bring awareness of species in peril that has been instrumental in reversing the downward population trend for so many species in peril.

On the federal level it has helped boost species like the Bald Eagle and Osprey, once on the brink of extinction, back to healthier numbers (just visit the Susquehanna River!) and others like the Bog Turtle have been lost across much of their range. The remnants of these largely isolated populations still exist while facing a wide array of threats such as loss of suitable habitat as work to save them is ongoing (lower left in photo).

There are many species still on the waiting list and protected locally through similar state laws. Some species are rare locally primarily due to being at the edge of their range and being isolated from other populations. One such example is the Northern Map Turtle that is in part affected by the Susquehanna dam network (upper right in photo).

Some like the Eastern Hellbender (upper left in photo, still has a small population found in Garrett County, MD but historic records from decades ago show it once was a local species in the Lower Susquehanna of MD) and the Maryland Darter (lower right in photo, only found here in Harford County and nowhere else in the world has not been seen since the late 1980s) may not be so lucky, serving as a cautionary tale.

We must work to protect all wildlife but especially these we have vowed to take extra care of to learn all we can and restore populations in any way possible. Please continue to let your elected officials know you want to protect our wildlife!

05/13/2026

A big thanks to our friend Stan Kollar, owner of local native plant nursery Kollar Nursery, for growing these American Chestnuts for us from seeds donated for the Wildlife Center last year.

These are the fabled "redwood of the East" that comprised 25% or more of many of our forests until a fungus, the Chestnut blight, arrived from Asia and all but wiped out some 4 billion trees. On occasion they can still be found naturally growing, appearing as almost ghost-like remnants of our long lost original forests. Now however, most remaining trees are small, rarely fruit and once they exhibit enough bark splitting blight cankers, they only survive by sprouting from their roots with little success at significant growth. This mighty tree was part of our not too long past modern American culture (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire 🎶), sustained rural communities and of course Native Americans for millennia before while providing both food and shelter for many species of wildlife including the huge flocks of now extinct Passenger Pigeons. These often 100+ft trees that could be as large as 10ft in diameter, also built our Nation, with its light yet strong, rot resistant wood being used for railroads, telephone poles, and many of our early buildings.

For years, scientists have been studying the blight resistance found in Chinese Chestnut trees and have attempted creating varying levels of hybridization, growing new trees from the remaining more genetically resilient trees and most recently genetically modifying trees with genes and then breeding them back with other trees as the best hope to resist the blight more effectively. With our trees we have mostly pure American Chestnuts and a handful of hybrids but we hope to eventually receive some of the new transgenic type down the road. Unfortunately with tree research it is a multiple generation effort to grow trees large enough to observe and experiment with which types may have the best chance of survival. Our trees will almost certainly be affected by blight but there have been some successful methods developed to treat or at least minimize the damage to the trees and keep them growing.

We have hope that thanks to the tireless dedication of organizations like the The American Chestnut Foundation, scientists will be able to find a more permanent method of resisting the harmful effects of the blight and soon start set forth on the important journey to truly bring this incredible species back to our forests in a substantial way. Until then, we will educate future generations about this amazing tree with an exhibit in our center, while enjoying watching our tiny trees grow as we keep them alive the best we can so they can represent an early stage of what we hope will become a grand comeback for their kind.

05/12/2026

A great reminder for baby bird season!

Oh no! You’ve found a baby bird on the ground, apparently alone and in distress. 🐥 Its tiny chirps may pull at your heartstrings, and it can be tempting to spring into action—but, not all baby birds need rescuing. That's why it's so important to stop and assess the situation.

If they do need your help, how to help them depends on a few factors: does this bird need immediate medical attention? And is it a nestling or a fledgling? Take a look at this graphic to determine how and when to assist baby birds—then click the link in our comments to learn more!

🖌️: Julie Rossman/Audubon

05/12/2026

Its almost that time of year again! Experience the magic of summer nights on June 26th from 7:30-10:00 pm at the Susquehannock Wildlife Conservation Center during our Nocturnal Wildlife and Firefly Night Hike! Wander through forest and meadow as glowing Eastern Fireflies light up the landscape, while listening for owls, frogs, and coyotes beneath the stars. End the evening around the campfire with s’mores, stories, and a closer look at the wildlife and habitats we work to protect. Get your tickets using the link in our comments/bio