W2 PM Chesapeake Bay Restoration (Part 2)
Wednesday, 16 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in Ballroom 2

(SPA-1117-829461) Use of dredged materials for landscape-scale island and tidal wetland habitat restoration in Chesapeake Bay.

Spaur, C¹, Johnson, S ¹, ¹ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, MD, USA

ABSTRACT- Society′s vision for the desired condition of the Bay over the next several decades includes continued presence of large expanses of tidal wetlands and isolated islands. There has been historic loss of both of these habitat types as a consequence of the combined impacts of natural and anthropogenic causes, and they remain on a downward trend. Dredged materials from navigation channels will provide the principal material means to restore substrates of tidal wetland and isolated island habitats. Several ongoing and proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers′ projects being undertaken in conjunction with the Maryland Port Administration are of particular importance in this regard. Upon completion, the ongoing Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project would restore/create approximately 1,140 acres of remote island habitat; proposed future expansion would add approximately 550 acres of remote island habitat. Proposed future placement of dredged material at James Island would create/restore about 2,000 acres of remote island habitat. The Poplar and James Islands projects would produce roughly half upland and half tidal wetland habitats. Proposed wetland restoration in and around the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge area of Dorchester County using dredged material has the potential to restore thousands of acres of tidal wetlands.

Key words: dredged material, tidal wetlands, island habitats