The HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC has been tasked with one of the most important initiatives in its history, aka, saving Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary.
Maryland has only one State-run wildlife sanctuary. It’s the 1,000-acre plus Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary located in the northern part of the Patuxent River, in Prince George’s County. A truly remarkable wildlife jewel.
In 1982, Edgar Merkle – a waterfowl conservationist – donated 400 plus acres plus $400,000 to plant grain and construct an interpretative center, respectively, to the State of Maryland known today as the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary. There was only one condition in exchange for this philanthropic gesture: plant non-harvestable crops to attract AP migratory Canada Geese to the Western Shore and leave them undisturbed for a 6-month period, aka, October through March, with the fervent hope they’d return year after year.
Today, that 400-acre plus gift to the State has been expanded to over 1,000 acres.
Word has come to us this Gentlemen’s Agreement is not being honored. Why do we call it a Gentlemen’s Agreement? It seems this was a hand-shake deal between Edgar Merkle and the State reminiscent of days gone by…some say the “good ‘ole days” when a man’s word was his bond. Maryland’s staff agency (Department of Legislative Services) was asked to locate the formal agreement reached between Merkle and the State in 1982. An exhaustive search by DLS came up with nothing; thus, leaving us to conclude it could only have been such an arrangement.
What to do?
We recently toured the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary to see for ourselves whether it’s being managed consistent with and responsive to the intent of this honorable man. And, we found that it is clearly not being managed for migratory AP Canada geese. Our guide told us in years past, the Sanctuary would be teeming with thousands of geese this time of year b/c food was there and no one was bothering them. Today, this Sanctuary is being operated NOT by DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service as one might surmise; but, by DNR’s Park Service. We saw joggers and vehicles during our early morning visit.
Anyone who knows anything about resting migratory AP Canada geese knows they are skittish. The slightest presence of human activity spooks them and they look for respite elsewhere, sometimes never to return.
The long and the short of this disclosure to Maryland’s hunting community is the HUNTERS OF MARYLAND, LLC will do its absolute best to convince the incoming Administration and/or the 2023 General Assembly that it’s time to honor the legacy of Edgar Merkle and manage this Sanctuary as the Sanctuary it was intended.
