Outdoor Notes — March 26 | Travel And Outdoors

Kyle Mullenix, of Hagerstown, set a new nontidal state record for muskellunge. Mullenix caught the 33-pound, 49-inch long record muskie on March 2 along the banks of the upper Potomac River, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Regarded as the “fish of 10,000 casts,” muskies are the largest freshwater fish in Maryland and among the most difficult to catch. Mullenix, a lifelong angler, said he has spent decades trying to catch a muskie. Using a 7-foot spinning rod and live bait, his luck finally changed. The previous state record, in 2017, was held also by a Washington County resident and weighed 32.5 pounds.

Birding at the Fred Archibald Sanctuary, 6011 Boyers Mill Road, New Market, will be led by the Frederick Bird Club on April 2. For time and other details, contact Bonnie Borsa at 301-695-8214. The next club meeting, at 7 p.m. April 7, will feature Gary Van Velsir who will speak on “Birding Magee Marsh and Point Pelee.” For more information on the club, visit mdbirds.org/birding/meeting-frederick-bird-club-8.

The Mountain Club of Maryland will lead a “1st Saturday of the Month” Appalachian Trail out-and-back hike from Wolfsville Road to Washington Monument. This self-paced hike has “distance/ascent” targets so you can track how far/fast you have walked and test/develop your pace and stamina. Target 1 is Annapolis Rock, 13 miles; Target 2 is the I-70 bridge, 17.6 miles and Target 3 is Washington Monument, 23.4 miles. Hikers will need to carry a whistle and provide the hike leader their cell number to enable in-hike communications for emergencies. For more information on this hike, email richardpalladino@mac.com.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society hosts a wildflower walk from 10 a.m. to noon on April 2 at Ferry Hill Plantation, 16500 Shepherdstown Pike, Sharpsburg. Pre-registration is required. Wanda Miller and Kathy Bilton, wildflower enthusiasts, lead the hike at the Ferry Ridge Trail and along the C&O Canal. Register at adultprograms@potomacaudubon.org or call 681-252-1387.

With more than 25 miles of developed trails, the National Park Service announces that Catoctin Mountain Park, Thurmont, will begin to update its trail system. Several of the trails were part of the park’s original master plan and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration crews in the 1930s and ‘40s. Planned projects include trail maintenance, more looped trails, realignment of some trails, creation of trails accessible to visitors with disabilities, use of bicycles on an administrative road, create connections to regional and national trail systems including the AT, add parking areas and designate a Fly Fishing Heritage Trail. For more information, visit nps.gov/cato.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, unveil an innovative, hands-on higher education experience this fall that highlights the fundamental role hunting plays in society and wildlife conservation. Once established, the Wildlife Sustenance curriculum will be available to other universities. The three-credit course features guest lecturers, and topics including the basics of hunting, hunter ethics, hunting’s role in conservation, firearms safety, processing and cooking game, and motivations and fears related to hunting. According to Dr. Josh Millsapugh, Boone and Crockett professor of Wildlife Conservation at UM, other universities have already expressed interest in the curriculum. For more information, visit rmef.org.