It’s about that time of year when Maryland’s black bears go from being predators to prey. On August 2, Maryland Department of Natural Resources began accepting applications from hunters who hope to shoot a bear in the season opening October 25. Two-hundred and sixty hunters will be picked by lottery from an expected 3,600 applicants (based on last year’s figures). Garrett and Allegany counties will have 65 to 90 fewer bears when the season ends October 30 — or earlier,...

Since April, 1,212 birds have been rescued from the filth spilling out of the Deep Water Horizon rig in the Gulf oil spill. Another 2,188 birds were found dead. Of the survivors, 511 have been released. Over one-third of the birds rescued survived the big spill. But how long will they survive? To answer that question, scientists need help. Maybe even your help — though rescued birds aren’t expected to flock to Chesapeake Country. Nearing the end of its rehabilitation, each bird is...

This is the true story about all of us who unwittingly, faithfully and dutifully went to our garden centers and bought tomato plants in mid-April. In this region, we’re cautioned not to plant before May 1. That was then. This is now, 2010, after the coldest, snowiest winter on record. Warm weather swept through our area in early May and upended that theory; holes were dug, plants submerged, things happened. Best-looking tomato plants I’ve ever seen. Thanks in part to the Bay...

  Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin may not be a diehard fan of the spicy group, but he headed north for Svalbard, Norway, as part of its entourage. No, not the funk-rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, though that would make an interesting story of a different variety. Cardin joined six congressional colleagues to deliver the seeds of American-grown chili peppers — the kind that spice up food, not concert stages — to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Managed and run by the Global Crop...