[O'CONNOR] For nearly four decades, Outdoors Maryland has brought viewers into the field alongside biologists, conservationists, and everyday Marylanders who are working to explore and protect the state's natural environment. Now, Maryland Public Television is closing out the 37th season of the series with two new episodes airing this month. I'm Jenny O'Connor. Stefanie Robey is the series producer of Outdoors Maryland, and she makes sure every episode reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
[ROBEY] We try to kind of build out the season to have a lot of variety, science and conservation and environmental focused stories, stories that are leaning more towards outdoor recreation. So like the kayak fishing, the sailing, things like that.
[O'CONNOR] The February episodes feature outdoor recreation stories like kayak fishing and the crab sailing competition, alongside more immersive behind-the-scenes experiences like working with the National Aquarium, which includes encounters with animals that may surprise some Maryland residents.
[ROBEY] We also went out to a seal colony in the Delaware Bay with a Delaware-based organization called MARE. While working on that story, so many people would say to me, you know, I've never even knew that we had seals in Maryland. So I think that's kind of a cool piece of that one.
[O'CONNOR] Stefanie has won 10 Emmys for her work with MPT including work with Maryland Farm and Harvest, Outdoors Maryland, Discovering the Dove, and the Chesapeake Bay Summit. Through that experience, she says, to keep a documentary-style series engaging means making viewers feel like they're truly part of the moment.
[ROBEY] We try to tell stories in as, I guess, immersive a way as possible so that our viewers can really feel like they are in that moment as much as possible, whether that is out in the open, rescuing seals or, you know, running around with the, you know, seal rescuers or the seal stranding response team as they're doing that.
[O'CONNOR] She credits that immersive feeling in part to modern technology. Gone are the days of bulky, shoulder -mounted cameras, because today's tools allow crews to capture stories in ways that weren't possible before.
[ROBEY] You know, we'll deploy like four GoPros out and we'll, you know, have the drone up and we'll, you know, have an underwater camera and, you know, smaller cameras being able to run around and chase biologists through bogs is easier with like a smaller camera than like a giant broadcast camera that they were using back in the day, although they still did it and they did a great job.
[O'CONNOR] Another part of the job she especially values is seeing conservation work through the eyes of everyday people.
[ROBEY] I'm always really impressed with the sort of citizen scientists that we tell stories about. You know, we did a story earlier this season about the Maryland Big Tree Program, where we went out with a group of people who were going around the state and measuring big trees, and they were just in it for the love of big trees.
[O'CONNOR] She had a similar experience when working with the National Aquarium on the February 3rd episode.
[ROBEY] The National Aquarium is doing all this work to rescue these seals and to rehab them, but they have like 75 volunteers who are just people who live out thereon the shore and who volunteer their time to keep an eye on seals that are on the beach and help out.
[O'CONNOR] At the heart of the series, she says, is the chance to showcase just how much diversity exists within Maryland's boarders.
[ROBEY] Maryland has like for such a small state, it has such a huge diversity of different habitats and ecosystems. We've got the Appalachian mountains, we've got the Peidmont, the Atlantic Coast, but then we have the Chesapeake Bay being the nation's largest estuary is obviously super, super special.
[O'CONNOR] And she hopes through each episode, she's able to help viewers see their surroundings with fresh eyes.
[ROBEY] My hope is really just that viewers leave feeling more connected to the nature that's right outside, right in their own backyard.
[O'CONNOR] The February 3rd episode is available for streaming online and on the PBS app. The next episode will feature beautiful images of otters, underwater footage of mussels and the fundraising race, the CRAB Cup. You can find that online as well after its broadcast premiere on the 10th at 7:30 p.m. on MPT. For Delmarva Public Media, I'm Jenny O'Connor.
