The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project recently received $37.5 million to restore the habitat around two rapidly eroding islands in the Chesapeake Bay.
The funding, allocated in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2022 budget, will help restore James Island, near the mouth of the Little Choptank River, and Barren Island, near Tar Bay.
Engineers will use dredged sediment from the Port of Baltimore’s shipping channels to restore the islands.
“Dredging is an ongoing necessity for Maryland’s Port of Baltimore to accommodate the huge ships that deliver cargo, keep our supply chain open and grow our economy,” said Governor Larry Hogan in a statement.
“With support from Maryland’s congressional delegation and partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this allocation will put sediment from our shipping channels to work restoring long-eroded Chesapeake Bay islands,” he said.
The restoration of the two islands will help protect the shoreline in Dorchester County from erosion and create new wildlife habitats.
James Island, the larger of the two, will have 2,072 acres restored, and 55% will be preserved as wetlands.
Barren Island will have 72 acres restored as wetlands and breakwaters – offshore structures that protect an area from the force of waves – will be installed to protect the island.
Restoration around Barren Island will begin in September and James Island reconstruction will begin in 2024.
