126

MARYLAND MANUAL

M. Wallace Dashiell, Regional Game Warden
John Warren, Wildlife Field Superintendent
Guy S. Rogers, Regional Fish Guitarist

The Department of Game and Inland Fish, established by Chapter
354, Acts of 1939, superseded the Conservation Department. The
Department is associated with the Board of Natural Resources and is
directed by a non-salaried five-man Commission, appointed by the
Governor from the several geographical regions of the State for five-
year terms, one term expiring each year. The Commission elects a
Chairman and a Vice Chairman from its membership and appoints the
Director of the Department. The Department enforces the game and
fresh water fish laws and such additional regulations as it enacts for
the conservation of the resources in its charge. Such rules may
restrict the terms of the game and fresh water fish laws (Code 1957,
Art. 66C, sees. 14, 111-233).

The Department being a Special Fund Agency, receives its total
operational funds from the sales of hunting and angling licenses,
fines, sale of products from Department-owned lands, and nominal
assistance from the United States Government, under the provisions
of the Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Restoration Acts

As of June 1965, the Department-owned game management areas,
refuges, and community fishing lakes totaled approximately 55,000
acres. At Belle Grove State Game Farm in Allegany County 1,500 wild
turkeys are propagated annually and released on suitable range in
Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore. In addition, the Depart-
ment leased many other areas which are managed under the Maryland
Cooperative Farm Game Program.

In all sections of Maryland, the Department has especially empha-
sized habitat improvement on private and public lands for the pur-
pose of increasing wildlife populations. In cooperation with the
Department of Forests and Parks, it manages wildlife populations on
more than 100,000 acres of State Forests.

The Commission owns and operates a fresh water fish hatchery for
trout at Beaver Creek in Washington County. It also owns and
operates trout rearing stations at Bear Creek, Garrett County. A warm
water fish rearing station is located and operated near Elkton, in Cecil
County. Approximately 100 major surface water areas, containing
more than five acres each, have been stocked with warm and cold
water species and over 100 streams received quotas of commercially
purchased or State-hatchery reared fish annually.

The Department rears over 100,000 (30,000 Ibs.) adult trout (brook,
brown, and rainbow) each year and 75,000 finger-lings. To supplement
this fish rearing and stocking program, the Department each year
purchased over 15,000 adult largemouth bass, great northern pike,
chain pickerel, walleyes and miscellaneous others for release into our
warm waters for public fishing.

Appropriations—1965

	Special	Federal
	Funds	Funds	Total
Administration	$162,805	_	$162,805
Public Relations	46,294		46,294
Law Enforcement	406,663		406,663
Game Management _ - - -	349,321	$ 28,344	377,665
Inland Fish Management -	217,309	55,222	272,531
Law Enforcement — Boating Act	33,326		33,326
Land and Development ...	64,775	195,718	260,493
Totals.	$1,280,493	$279,284	$1,559,777