Spoil to Splendor: A Story of

Chesapeake Bay Island Restoration

Presented by
Christopher P. Guy
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
Chesapeake Bay Field Office
Annapolis, Maryland
The Paul S. Sarbanes Ecological Restoration Project at
Poplar Island, Talbot County Maryland
Partners
U.S Army Corps of Engineers*
Maryland Port Authority*
Maryland Environmental Service*
Maryland Geological Survey
Maryland Dept. Environment
Maryland Dept. Of Natural Resources
* Principal funding organizations/project
management
University of Maryland
Ohio University
USGS
NOAA
USFWS
What is Poplar Island?
A 27 year, 700 million dollar beneficial use of
dredged material project. Accepting clean
material from Baltimore approach channels
to restore island habitat to the Chesapeake
Bay.
Loss of island and wetland habitat as well as
culturally significant areas throughout
Chesapeake Bay due to erosion and sea level
rise.
Placement site for maintenance dredging
material
Why Bother?
So Where Is It Anyway?
34 Nautical miles
south of Baltimore,
Maryland
17 miles SSE of
Annapolis,
Maryland
30 miles east of
Washington D.C.
Tilghman Island
1934-Picture
provided by the
Smithsonian
Institution
Poplar Island
N
1847: >1100 acres
Design Features
1,140 acres (50% wetlands/50% uplands); 1847
570 acres of marsh (80% low marsh/20% high
marsh)
40 mcy capacity (25 mcy at present)
Wetlands
Uplands
North
Project Restoration Goals:
Create remote and diverse island habitat
Restore quiescent water habitat in Poplar Harbor
to promote submerged aquatic vegetation recovery
Create/enhance tidal wetlands to provide fish and
wildlife habitat
Project Restoration Goals:
Create bare/sparsely vegetated islands within the
restored marshes to provide nesting habitat for birds
(terns, black skimmers, oyster catcher etc.)
Create/enhance vegetated islands within the restore
marshes to provide nesting habitat for birds (egrets,
herons, black duck, etc.)
1998-2001 Exterior Dikes all to elevation of 10
above MLLW
Cell 2 dike (upland) currently at 23
Initial Construction
Island Aerials
September 2009 1998 (Pre-construction)
Wildlife Management Activities
Disease response
Predator/nuisance species control (gulls, great horned
owl, mute swan, fox, muskrat,) and surveillance.
Monitoring (wildlife, wetland, and SAV).
Wildlife Management Activities
Habitat enhancement (shrub plantings, Christmas
trees, and snags).
Nesting structures installation (osprey, tree swallows
etc).
Develop wildlife management plan.
Wildlife Disease Events: Avian
Botulism/Steatitis
Predator/Nuisance
Species Control
Habitat Enhancement
Nest Box/Structures
Avian Monitoring
Osprey
Snowy egret
Double-crested cormorant
Least and Common terns
Estimating areal
coverage by
species
Measuring stem
heights
Species diversity
Wetland
Monitoring
Marsh Restoration Progression
MAY JUNE JULY
AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Monitoring
POPular Destination
Red-winged Blackbird
Great Blue Heron
Willet Tree Swallow
Snowy Egret
Black Skimmer
Gulls
American Avocet
Sandpiper
Questions ???