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Project Summary

Poplar Island Restoration

Regional Map


1. Project Identification

Name Poplar Island Restoration
Region Mid-Atlantic
State Maryland
Location Upper Middle Chesapeake Bay, approximately 34 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Baltimore, adjacent to Jefferson Island and about 1 mile northwest of Tilghman Island in Talbot County, MD
Date of this update  

2. Problem(s) addressed (check one or more)

From a size estimated to exceed 1,100 acres in the 1800=s, Poplar Island has eroded and split into four separate islands. These islands together total only 5 acres today. The island is currently eroding at the rate of more than 13 feet per year. At this rate the island will disappear by the turn of the century. The island and its surrounding habitat are preferentially selected by many migratory birds, as well as other fish and wildlife species, as nesting/production areas. Poplar Island currently supports nesting snowy egrets, common egrets, cattle egrets, common terns, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, little blue herons, green herons and black ducks. Diamondback terrapins nest on the beaches, and river otters fish from the island shore.

3. Project Description (100 words or less. Please include qualitative information, e.g. acres of habitat restored, miles of steam reopened to migration, and legislative authorization, e.g. WRDA, ISTEA, CWA/NEP, CZMA, etc.)

The Poplar Island restoration project is designed to reconstruct the island to its approximate size in 1847 using uncontaminated dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Federal Navigation project. Island restoration would create 1,110 acres of wildlife habitat by placing, shaping and planting approximately 38 million cubic yards of clean dredged material. The habitat created would include approximately 555 acres each of intertidal wetland and upland habitat. Of the wetland, 80% will be developed as low marsh and 20% as high marsh. Small upland islands, ponds and channels will be created to increase habitat diversity within the marsh area. It is expected that habitat diversity will be increased in the upland areas by constructing small ponds and providing both forested and relatively open.shrub areas.

4. Goals/Benefits (quantify where possible using measures of success list) Was a cost-benefit study conducted for this project? yes/no If yes, provide a summary of findings.

Island restoration would create 1,110 acres of wildlife habitat The habitat created would include approximately 555 acres each of intertidal wetland and upland habitat. Of the wetland, 80% will be developed as low marsh and 20% as high marsh. No cost benefit study done.

5. Partners (include each participant's responsibilities - funding, permitting, etc.)

6. Funding/Contributions (organization and amount)

7. Legislative authorities used by each participant

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8. Value added by Coastal America Partnership including Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals achieved through this collaboration (500 words or less)

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9. Project Status

Initiation date October 1994
Completion date September 2021
Current stage Construction scheduled to start in Fall of 1996.

10. Contacts

11. Any additional information/comments

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This page was last updated on Saturday, 24-Jun-2000 11:48:47 EDT
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