Climate & environment

Baltimore County and state officials are using a helicopter fly swatter to spray bacteria over a 1,200-acre section of the Back River. The goal is to kill millions of midge larvae so they do not grow up to annoy residents and destroy businesses in the marinas and waterfront homes in and around Essex.

An executive order from the governor requires new standards for using low-emission electric options for new and replacement heating equipment in homes, such as furnaces and water heaters.

Horseshoe crab blood is a vital part of the pharmaceutical industry — but this nonprofit group says Maryland obfuscates how it regulates their harvest.

Residents in Pasadena in Anne Arundel County said they are concerned after learning Maryland Port Administration is considering putting dredge material in part of the river where they swim, fish and boat.

Thirteen Anne Arundel County environmental organizations have united to protect and preserve the county’s natural resources.

Waitlist spots may become available for the Inner Harbor public swim set for late June — but they are not guaranteed.

The island community will be able to use the money to shore up its petroleum storage and make other necessary improvements to protect from flooding.

Cylburn Arboretum’s most-photographed tree, a dawn redwood, was destroyed by a lightning strike this week.

A veteran U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientist found a pair of newly hatched eaglets at Poplar Island, located in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay, that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland Port Authority have been rebuilding over the last 25 years.

While the Johns Hopkins Health System has ceased dealings with a South Baltimore medical waste incinerator that has been sued and hit with fines, MedStar Health plans to continue using the facility.

The pilot, which is just under 2 years old, includes 1,164 households participating in the free compost collection program through Key City Compost. The total amount of diverted waste is 574,670 pounds as of the end of April.

When midshipmen graduating from the Naval Academy today reach retirement age in 2066, the Chesapeake Bay will be more than a foot higher.

The number of crabs is an improvement from an all-time low in 2022, but still below average. The decline is less than 2%.

The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore on Monday said the first public swim event in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in decades will be held on June 23. Registration for “Harbor Splash” begins next week.

A viral video sounded the alarm about the effect of the city's sewage overflows on the Chesapeake Bay. The city has until 2030 to prevent them from occurring.

After what’s felt like an endless slog of muggy days and rainy weekends, the Baltimore region can expect warmer, sunnier days ahead.

When the mayor of Annapolis plans a $10 million, glass-walled maritime welcome center at City Dock — right on top of an $88 million public works project to save downtown by lifting part of it above climate-driven flooding — Historic Annapolis pays attention. The question is, is anyone listening?

No matter where you noticed the spotted lanternfly nymphs, they’re a sign of what’s to come. Experts said they expect a swarm of the bugs — which take on a dramatic red coloring when they’re grown — just like last year in Maryland.

Waves of rain moved through Baltimore early Saturday, and forecasters predicted clouds will continue throughout Preakness Day.

Demolition of Baltimore City Community College’s downtown Bard Building is scheduled for completion in early September.