April 7th Press Release from DNR - Quality Deer Management Chapter Presents Award To Maryland Conservation Corps

Quality Deer Management Chapter Presents Award To Maryland Conservation Corps
Westminster, Md. (April 7, 2011) —The Maryland Chapter of the Quality Deer
Management Association (QDMA) presented an award to the Maryland
Conservation Corps (MCC) at the annual QDMA Banquet on March 19, honoring
MCC’s efforts in an ongoing deer research project in Maryland State Parks.
“We are so appreciative of the MCC’s hard work,” said Nita Settina,
Superintendent of the Maryland Park Service. “These young men and women
were so eager to learn and contribute to the project; they were such an
asset.”
After accepting QDMA’s invitation, corps-members worked at recent State
Park managed deer hunts, assisting in weighing, aging and collecting
reproductive data from the harvested deer. Many MCC crewmembers commented
that it was an excellent educational opportunity working with the
experienced biologists. Biologists from the Maryland Chapter have been
working in Maryland State Parks since 1998, collecting data for this
study.
“It was great to see the MCC corps-members recognized,” said Andrew
Hangen, Assistant Manager at Gunpowder Falls State Park, who witnessed the
MCC crews putting in several very long days collecting data under the
guidance of the QDMA biologists. “These individuals did a wonderful job,”
he said.
The Maryland Chapter of QDMA annually presents this award to individuals
who have had a positive effect on deer management in Maryland. QDMA is a
non-profit organization whose mission is to promote a management
philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters and managers in a
common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds
within existing environmental, social and legal constraints. For more
information about QDMA, visit http://www.marylandqdma.com/.
The Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC) is an AmeriCorps program that
engages young adults in extensive natural resource management and park
conservation projects. Managed by the Maryland Park Service since 1984,
MCC provides members with opportunities for skill development and personal
growth through a supportive, team-based environment, emphasizing the
satisfaction of completing projects that benefit Maryland’s natural
resources. To learn more about MCC, go to www.dnr.state.md.us
www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/