07/20/2026
This is important. Go check it out and fight it.
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Read on our website at https://usark.org/26md/.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has been working on changes to the state’s h**p regulations. MDNR has already presented one proposal at several meetings to ban the possession of all native Maryland h**ps, including captive-bred animals. There is no timeline yet, but a formal proposal is expected to happen at any time. All Maryland stakeholders are encouraged to join the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Charitable Trust (MAARC) Facebook group for updates. You can request to join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1971574380136788/. MDNR already regulates the possession, breeding, and sale of native h**ps through permits and licenses. Many species are protected and not allowed to be possessed.
The Maryland H**p Club (previously called the Maryland H**petological Society) provided DNR’s h**petologist with a 25-page set of recommendations and regulatory changes that agree to some amendments to Maryland’s h**p regulations, but not a broad-sweeping ban. The H**p Club’s recommendations rejected the possession ban on all Maryland native species and provided evidence to discredit the biased reasoning behind the proposed bans.