Spawning Hopes: An Update An update on the latest efforts to find an answer to the question surrounding the native-versus-Asian oyster controversy.

The Breeding Birds' Atlas Dr. Chandler Robbins and other dedicated bird enthusiasts are in the process of conducting field counts of Maryland's birds to complete the latest Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The reference book and its data are critical to researchers' bird population projections in the state.

To Horse and Away The ancient tradition of fox chasing is alive and well in the rolling green hills and farm fields of Carroll County.

Quicksilver Quandary Scientists and wildlife biologists explore the problem of mercury in Maryland's finfish - and what it means to public health.

The Best Days of Our Lives: The Centennial of Maryland State Forests and Parks A 30-minute documentary exploring the first 100 years of Maryland's forest and parks.

Rainbow Rare A High School teacher and his students from the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. make a rare discovery as they gather together in their after-school nature club.

The Rockfish Question Fishermen and scientists are finding Rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay that have lesions on them, and researchers are searching for an explanation.

Island Crusader Salisbury resident Steven White tries to stop the waters of the Chesapeake Bay from to eroding Holland Island.

In the Clear A look into fine particulate matter air pollutants in the region and their health impact on people.

Sport of Kings Peregrine Falcons are trained to hunt game for their handlers, much like they have since medieval times. These "wolves of the sky" hunt together, much like wolfpacks stalk their prey.

Driving the Shell For many years the public has imagined only limited recreational uses for the Patapsco River. A great place to crab, but you wouldn't want to swim in some parts of it. Boaters have had no qualms using the branches of the Patapsco as a road to the Bay. But if you look carefully along the banks of the river, you'll see evidence of the revival of a sport that once flourished in Baltimore's watery back yard: boathouses that serve as the headquarters for a number of rowing clubs, including the Baltimore Rowing Club.

Along the River The Bush River in northeastern Maryland is facing many of the same challenges that rivers in other parts of the state, and the nation, must deal with. Rising population, growing infrastructure and more sediment and pollutants runoff into the river, degrading its quality. A look at the river's natural system, and practices and policies that resourceful public officials are implementing to protect the Bush River.

The Road Show There's the tiny Eastern Screech Owl that was found, injured, on a roadside. And the Black Vulture that was rescued as a chick from a burning barn in Havre De Grace. There're the Owls - Barn, Bard, Great Horned and Short-eared; the Turkey Vulture with a missing toe; the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle, and the osprey, hawks and falcons. They make up the bird portion of a company of "performers" that's half of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Scales 'n Tales program, a unique, traveling zoo that helps to educate people about the state's different species of birds. The other half that finds its way with the birds to schools, birthday parties, county fairs and other venues, are a collection of snakes that round out the complement of players.

Spanning Time Born as an ingenious solution to a vexing engineering problem, covered bridges still survive throughout Maryland as touchstones to our past. Six covered bridges have survived across the state, transforming small vignettes of Maryland landscapes into something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Outdoors Maryland: Working Lands Working Lands explores some of the many challenges facing Maryland farmers in a state where farmland is being lost each day to development, and looks at some of the new strategies to maintain active, environmentally-friendly agriculture in Maryland.

The Keystone Harvest A closer look at the controversy swirling around the fishing of Menhaden, an important finfish species, in the Chesapeake Bay.

Shot and Clay In the end, it's split-second timing that means the difference between hitting or missing. For trap shooters, smoking the bird makes all of the practice and preparation worth it.

The Humble Catch Many people cut their fishing teeth on the scaly critter called the Yellow Perch. Once plentiful, DNR biologists now worriedly suspect the number of Yellow Perch in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is falling. That's prompted the agency to ply Maryland waters in search of an answer.