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Poplar Island Tour

October 15, 2022 by Spy Desk

Over the last three decades, an intensive effort to recreate Poplar Island has resulted in a vibrant flyway for more than 400 different species of wildlife and nesting habitat for more than 30 different birds. To see for yourself, join Chesapeake Forum for “ A Trip Back to Poplar Island on Oct. 24th. This very popular tour regularly sells out. If that’s the case, a second tour will be added in the spring so be sure to add yourself to the waitlist!

In 1847, Poplar Island boasted more than 1,100 acres and during the early 1900s, the island supported a thriving community of about 100 residents, several farms, a school, a church, a post office, and a sawmill. By the 1920s, residents began leaving the island as more and more of its landmass fell victim to erosion. The island’s remains were still used as a retreat in the 1930s and 1940s, and Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman were among its visitors. By the early 1990s, all that remained of the original island were several small clusters of islets rising just above the surface of the water. Reduced to about four acres, Poplar Island’s disappearance seemed imminent.

The Chesapeake Forum tour covers a variety of topics pertaining to Poplar Island including the island’s history, the beneficial use of dredged material for habitat restoration, salt-marsh habitat, and wildlife sightings. Led by Maryland Senior Environmental Specialist Kristina Motley.

“Field Trip: A Trip Back to Poplar Island “ will be October 24th from 9 a.m – noon, in-person at the Maryland Environmental Service Tilghman Island dock. To register for this or any other Chesapeake Forum class, please visit https://chesapeakeforum.org .

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit dedicated to providing continuing education opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. If you would like to receive Chesapeake Forum’s monthly newsletter, please email to [email protected] with your name and preferred email.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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October 15, 2022 at 6:49 PM

We are on the wait list and have been trying to go for YEARS! I hope this will be a win! Thanks, Adrianne LASKER

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Poplar Island Tours

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This week, in honor of all the mothers, and all those who mother, be they friends, aunties, or sisters, the market will be holding a special event. Kids OF ALL AGES are invited to assemble a flower gift for 🌸MOM🌺Buy stems from our flower vendors, then make your gift complete with market-supplied vases and bottles, gift tags and ribbons, stickers and markers. This special Mother’s Day opportunity runs from 9:00-11:00 am on Saturday. #loveyourmother . . #loveyourfarmer #loveyourflowergrower #specialevent #saturday #agiftformom #fresh #local #fromtheheart

The legendary Willy Porter brings his captivating blend of Americana, blues, and soul to the Stoltz Listening Room TONIGHT, May 8th! His introspective lyrics and soulful vocals will leave you wanting more. Check for ticket availability today! https://tourtalbot.org/event/willy-porter/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @willyportermusic @avalontheatre

It`s National Bike Month - Celebrate by exploring the beautiful scenery of Talbot County, Maryland, on two wheels! Talbot County boasts a network of trails perfect for riders of all ages and abilities. Cruise through charming towns and picturesque landscapes with our biking trail and event guides: https://tourtalbot.org/bike-talbot/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @ChesapeakeCyclingClub #tourdetalbot #nationalbikemonth

Mother`s Day is this weekend! Treat Mom to a special #MothersDay by exploring charming boutiques with unique gifts & local art. Indulge in delicious ice cream with a waterfront view or take a scenic ferry ride and enjoy the fresh air. Check out our guide of the endless ways to make Mom feel loved in Talbot County: https://tourtalbot.org/celebrate-mothers-day-with-these-restaurants-and-our-hints-on-things-to-do/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd #mothersday #mom

Many congratulations to the finalists of the Talbot County Citizen and Service Awards! 🌟 We remain proud that Mr. James Redman, an Advisory Board member since our launch in 2020, represented the Academy among the #TalbotDay honorees. His passion for literacy and unapologetic diligence truly embody the spirit of service—especially in crafting the talbotcountyfreelibrary`s first bilingual Equity and Access Questionnaire (link in bio). Please, join us in giving all the change agents recognized a round of 👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿 for their remarkable efforts!

Enjoy a harmonious evening with husband-and-wife duo The Kennedys TONIGHT, May 5th, in the Stoltz Listening Room! Their latest album, "HEADWINDS," is out now and critics are raving about their "powerful vocals" and "instrumental prowess." Don`t miss your chance to experience the magic of The Kennedys live - check for ticket availability NOW! https://tourtalbot.org/event/the-kennedys/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @the_kennedys_music @avalontheatre

The 24th Annual Multicultural Festival is coming to Idlewild Park TODAY, May 4th! Celebrate the rich diversity of our community with a fun-filled day of musical performances, global cuisine, arts & crafts and children`s activities. It`s a springtime tradition you won`t want to miss! https://tourtalbot.org/event/24th-annual-multicultural-festival/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @avalontheatre @buildingafricanamericanminds

Ray, a drop of golden sun 🌞 (Prints available. Link in bio) . . . . . . . . . . #adventurejournal #fall #visitmaryland #marylandeasternshore #easternshore #folkgood #wanderfolk #adventureseeker #natureshooters #tinyatlasquarterly #justgoshoot #capturethewild #wildnature #coastalliving #coastal #wanderout #leafpeeping #autumnleaves #mutedtones #waterways #mytinyatlas #earthfocus #earthoutdoors #outdoortones #northeast #captured_by_women #toneception #moodmagic #earthday #earthofficial

Get ready for an artistic adventure this evening! Easton`s vibrant downtown galleries are extending their hours for the First Friday Gallery Walk TONIGHT, May 3rd. Explore new exhibits, meet the talented artists, and soak up the creative energy. Some galleries will even be serving delicious hors d`oeuvres and beverages! https://tourtalbot.org/event/eastons-first-friday-gallery-walk-2/2024-05-03/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd #firstfridayeaston #firstfriday #art

Had a blast at the first ever Paddles Up for Mental Health Pickleball Tournament benefiting forallseasonsinc mental health and victim services✨ What a wonderful 2-day event featuring guests of honor nopixafterdark and mrlawrence32. leahashleetherapywellness was there to support the cause and keep players injury free and on the court! Can’t wait to be back next year! 💪🏻 #leahashleetherapy #smallbusiness #healthandwellness #physicaltherapy #personaltraining #pickleball

Calling all fans of bluesy rock and captivating vocals to the Stoltz Listening Room TONIGHT, May 2nd, as Cristina Vane takes the stage! Get ready to be entranced by the rising artist Rolling Stone Country describes as evoking "Bonnie Raitt and early PJ Harvey" with her song "Badlands." Check for ticket availability now! https://tourtalbot.org/event/cristina-vane/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @cristinavanemusic @avalontheatre

We`re thrilled to announce the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Gluten-Free Bakery Girl`s brand new location at 342 N. Aurora Street, Easton, MD is TODAY, May 1st from 3:30 to 4:30! Join us for an afternoon of sweet treats, festivities, and the official opening of their doors! It`s going to be a May Day celebration you won`t want to miss. https://www.talbotchamber.org/events - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd @gfreebakerygirl

Brush up on your brunch game with the Cracking the Egg Cooking Class at Two if By Sea on May 5th! This interactive class is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the secrets to creating delicious and impressive breakfast dishes. Spots are limited, so check for ticket availability today! https://tourtalbot.org/event/cracking-the-egg-cooking-class/ - #talbotcountymd #mdinfocus @discovereaston @townofstmichaels @PortOfOxford #trappemd #twoifbysearestaurant

She opened for Chris Smither in the Big room. “If you like your traditional Bluegrass dipped into a bit of the Blues, then the music of songwriter, singer, slide guitar and clawhammer banjo player Cristina Vane is right for you.” - Music City Mike om Cristina Vane plying the Stoltz Listening Room on May 2. Tickets are available online at avalonfoundation.org We hope to see you at the show!!

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Poplar Island

At a glance.

Hours: Birding tours (advance reservation only) depart from mainland boat dock at 9 am and leave the island to return to the mainland about 1:30 pm. The boat ride takes about 20 minutes each way.

Cost: Free.

Tips: Bring a scope. ◾ Wear closed toed shoes. ◾ Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, bugspray, water, lunch and snacks. ◾ You can refill your water bottle at the administration building when the group stops for lunch. ◾ Restrooms available at the office/lunch stop and at the boat dock on the mainland.

Best Seasons: Year-round, but tours only run from spring through fall on specified dates.

Breeding Bird Atlas Blocks: Horseshoe Point Se, East of North Beach NE, Tilghman NW

Mainland Boat Dock – 21548 Chicken Point Road, Tilghman, MD 21671 (410) 729-8200

Poplar Island is one of those must-see birding destinations in Maryland. The island is an environmental restoration project located in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland, due west of Tilghman Island. Along with Hart-Miller Island, Masonville Cove, and Swan Creek/Cox Creek, Poplar Island is primarily a man-made terrain built of material dredged from the Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore Harbor, and has become one of Maryland’s outstanding shorebird sites.

Formally named the “Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island,” the project has become an international model for the beneficial use of dredged material. The habitats on and near the island include dredged material impoundments; mudflats; brackish marshes; rock jetties; and the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay. As a birding destination, Poplar Island is famous for its shorebirds, and also offers great views of waders, waterfowl, gulls, and terns. See “How to Visit” below.

In the 1800s, Poplar Island was about 1,100 acres in size and supported a human community of farmers, fishermen, and village business owners. But over time, the people began leaving because the island was subject to severe and increasing erosion. By the 1990s, the island was reduced to several small clumps protruding above the water, with a total area of only about 4 acres.

Today, the land area of Poplar Island has been significantly expanded through an ongoing project using dredged material collected from the Chesapeake Bay’s shipping channels leading to the Baltimore Harbor. The restoration is being carried out through a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Maryland Environmental Service (MES); MES performs day-to-day operations on the site.

The original Poplar Island restoration project was planned to bring the island back to it’s size of about 1,140 acres in the 1800s. However, the project has been expanded, and a new area on the north end of the island will bring it to a total of 1,715 acres. The final island will consist of approximately 776 acres of tidal wetlands, including low marsh and high marsh habitat, bird nesting islands, and open water ponds, plus an upland portion of approximately 829 acres.

How to Visit:

The island is not open to the public, and docking of private boats or landing from kayaks or canoes is not permitted. There is only one way for birders to visit, and that is through free birding tours offered by MES. Birders take an MES boat to the island in the morning and are driven around the island in a comfortable, air-conditioned tour bus, with frequent stops to get out and look at birds. The MES tour guide knows where the birds are and the group works together on identifications. There are no foot-trails, and the only walking involves short forays from the bus to good vantage points. The boat will take birders back to the mainland in early afternoon.

MES schedules about eight of these birding trips each year and announces the dates via an email to the MD Birding Community Google group , or one can contact MES via [email protected] to request the dates, which generally range from mid-April through early October. The announcement of the scheduled dates is usually made in December for the following year and MES will start accepting reservations, via email and phone, on a specified date in January. It is essential to choose your desired dates and sign up promptly because the limited number of seats go quickly.

Over 245 species have been reported on eBird from Poplar Island . There are separate eBird hotspots for nearby Coaches Island and Jefferson Island , both privately owned but viewable from Poplar Island. Although there are no public tours of Poplar Island in the winter, we have knowledge of the wintering birds there from reports made by the biologists employed on the island.

eBird reports include 33 species of waterfowl , including all the expected species for the Chesapeake Bay, such as Canvasback and Redhead, but also a smattering of sea ducks, including Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, King Eider, and Long-tailed Duck. Some species can be found year-round, or nearly so, including large numbers of Mallard and American Black Duck, plus Ruddy Duck and all three scoters.

Rallids typically found on the island include Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, Sora, American Coot, and Common Gallinule.

Poplar Island is truly remarkable for its shorebirds , with 36 species, reported: essentially all the shorebirds that can reliably be found in Maryland plus a couple of rarities. Black-necked Stilts breed on the island, and American Avocets can be present in large numbers during post-breding dispersion. Regularly occurring plovers include Black-bellied, American Golden-, Semipalmated, and Killdeer, and there have been several reports of endangered Piping Plovers, but they are not regular. Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, and Hudsonian Godwit sometimes appear. Small numbers of Purple Sandpipers may be on the rock jetties from fall through late spring. White-rumped, Buff-breasted, and Baird’s Sandpipers turn up most years. Ruff has been reported. Other expected shorebirds include the peeps (Least, Western, and Semipalmated Sandpipers ); Ruddy Turnstone; Red Knot; Stilt Sandpiper; Sanderling; Dunlin; Pectoral Sandpiper; both dowitchers (although Long-billed is less frequent); Wilson’s Snipe; Red-necked and Wilsons Phalaropes; Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers (Solitary being less frequent); Willet (making their presence known with noisy calls); and both yellowlegs.

Twelve species of gulls have been reported: the regulars are Herring, Great Black-backed, Ring-billed, Laughing (summer), and Bonaparte’s (winter). Lesser Black-backed Gull is almost regular. Rarities include Sabine’s, Black-headed, Franklin’s, California, Iceland, and Glaucous. Terns are also featured, with Common, Forster’s and Least nesting on the island. Other regularly occurring terns include Caspian, Royal, and Black; and there have been rare sightings of Sandwich and Gull-billed. Black Skimmers can occasionally be seen skimming the waters of the Bay.

Loons (Common and Red-throated) and grebes (Pied-billed, Horned, and Red-necked) are regular; Eared Grebes are occasional drop-ins durng migration. Northern Gannets are regular in winter, and there is one incidence of Brown Booby being seen offshore; Brown Boobies have been increasing visitors to the middle and upper Bay. Brown Pelicans are numerous on or near Coach’s Island and flying up and down the Bay. There are occasional reports of American White Pelican, but these are unexpected.

Poplar Island is also well known for its waders . There is a rookery on the island, hosting Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and Cattle Egret. Black-crowned Night-Herons can be found near an old barge, and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are sometimes present. American and Least Bitterns nest in the marshes, as does Green Heron. Glossy Ibis can almost always be found, and Tricolored Heron, another southern species that appears to be extending its range northward, is becoming more regular.

Bald Eagles and Osprey are present in large numbers, and Northern Harriers are frequently seen. Other resident raptors , for all or part of the year, include both vultures; Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks; Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks; and American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. There are sporadic sightings of Barn Owl, and Short-eared Owls and sometimes Snowy Owl show up in winter.

With so much water, Poplar Island is a great place for swallows , with all the expected species for Maryland. Among landbirds , notables include Marsh Wren and Seaside Sparrow, which breed on the island. Winter residents include American Pipit; Snow Bunting; and Field, White-crowned, Savannah, and Swamp Sparrows. Migrating sparrows have included Nelson’s; Lincoln’s; and Vesper.

Given the lack of forested habitat on Poplar Island, warbler sightings are more sporadic, but Common Yellowthroats breed in the marshes in large numbers; Palm Warblers use the rock jetties during migration and can be numerous; and Yellow-rumped Warblers overwinter.

Gravel lot at mainland boat dock.

Special Features:

The tour bus and boat CANNOT accommodate wheelchairs. ◾ Programs and projects at Poplar Island include environmental education trips for school children; a terrapin restoration project in partnership with schools; Christmas tree recycling and habitat creation for nesting species, especially American Black Duck; Monarch Watch tagging program; a new butterfly garden near administration trailer; a banding program for Least Terns and other birds. ◾ The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Talbot Bird Club , which offers field trips and meetings with informative presentations, all free and open to the public.

Multimedia:

Episode 2803 of Outdoors Maryland from Maryland Public Television includes a segment called “A Tern in the Tide,” about the habitat restoration on Polar Island and the establishment of nesting colonies of Ospreys, Common Terns, and Least Terns. Footage shows biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Program and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center conducting monitoring of the colonies on the island. Other segments in this episode are “Degrees of Action,” about the Adventuresports Institute at Garrett College, which trains guides for whitewater, rock climbing, and everything in-between, and . “The Invasive Chase,” about efforts to track and control the invasive Snakehead fish.

Directions:

From US Route 50 near Easton: Take MD Route 322 westbound for approximately 2 miles, then turn right to go west on MD Route 33. Follow Route 33 for about 22 miles, through St. Michael’s (watch speed limits) and then go over the Knapps Narrows Bridge onto Tilghman Island. On Tilghman Island, turn left at the first street on the left, which will take you east on Chicken Point Road. The MES land base office is the third house on the left, at #21548. There is a sign at the driveway; turn left into the driveway and proceed to the parking area behind the house, using a marked space if possible.

After parking your car, follow the stone path from the parking lot to the pier. A big boat called the Terrapin will be there to pick you up at the predetermined time. There is a portable toilet behind a small privacy fence at the back edge of the parking lot.

Nearby Sites:

Talbot County: Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park (Talbot County Side ) ◾ Black Walnut Point Natural Resources Management Area ◾ Claiborne Landing ◾ Mill Creek MOS Sanctuary ◾ Pickering Creek Audubon Center

Caroline County: Adkins Arboretum ◾ Choptank Marina ◾ Daniel Crouse Memorial Park ◾ Idylwild Wildlife Management Area ◾ Martinak State Park ◾ Skeleton Creek Road & Bethlehem Road ◾ Tuckahoe State Park (Caroline County)

Dorchester County: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge ◾ Cambridge – Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park (Dorchester County Side ) ◾ Cambridge – Great Marsh Park ◾ Cambridge – Oakley Street ◾ Cambridge – Sailwinds Park & Visitor Center ◾ Chesapeake Forest – North Tara Road ◾ Elliott Island Road / Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area (Eastern Section) ◾ Hooper’s Island ◾ Taylor’s Island

Queen Anne’s County: Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center – Horsehead ◾ Conquest Preserve ◾ Ferry Point Park ◾ Matapeake Clubhouse & Beach / Matapeake Fishing Pier & Boat Ramp ◾ Terrapin Nature Park ◾ Tuckahoe State Park (Queen Anne’s County) ◾ Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area

Dredged Material Containment Facility Old Fields, Shrubby Meadows Sandy Beach or Dunes Freshwater Marsh or Floodplain Freshwater Pond, Lake, or Reservoir Jetties & Seawalls Mud Flats (Tidal or Non-Tidal) Open Ocean, Bay, or Estuary Salt or Brackish Marsh

The Birder’s Guide to Maryland & DC is a project of the Maryland Ornithological Society .

MOS Mailing Address: Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. Cylburn Mansion 4915 Greenspring Avenue Baltimore, MD 21209

MOS Chapters

Allegany & Garrett County Bird Club
Anne Arundel Bird Club
Baltimore Bird Club
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We’ve made it easier than ever to donate to the Birder’s Guide to Maryland and DC. Just click on the Donate button and you will be redirected to the donation page on the Maryland Ornithological Society’s website.

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See the Bay: Poplar Island

Posted January 2, 2015

It used to be that anything good for commerce always came at the expense of the natural environment or public opinion. Poplar Island, rising out of the shallows hard by Tilghman Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with Bay channel dredge material, is emerging as a clear win for all and gaining global recognition as an international model of doing it right.

Competing Interests The Port of Baltimore is enjoying unprecedented resurgence, and business is booming with record numbers, ranking in 2013 14th in volume and ninth in value and first in RO/RO (roll on/roll off) of cars, light trucks, and machinery. Officials are confident that the port will be ready for deep-draft, post-Panamax ships that will start to arrive after the expanded Panama Canal opens in 2016. New cranes are in place and operational. Rail investments ashore are in the works, and a new ship pier just opened in Fairfield to handle yet more RO/RO cargo.

But the shipping business is fickle and portable, as we learned recently w hen Carnival Cruise Lines decided to abandon Baltimore for Ft. Lauderdale. (Carnival will return in April 2015 under new environmental regulations). Deep-draft ships need deep-draft channels, or they will go somewhere else. Baltimore competes with other ports up and down the East Coast, from Halifax and Boston to Savannah and Jacksonville. Other factors, such as convenient truck and rail access and adequate shoreside infrastructure play into it, but simply put, the Maryland Port Administration needs to keep shipping channels dredged to 50 feet in order to stay in the game while other ports scramble to catch up. Powerboat-averse Bay sailors already know how big an average container ship is (965 feet LOA, 106 foot beam, and 39 foot draft), but the new ships are enormous: They will be 1200 feet long with 160 feet of beam, and eleven more feet of draft.

Dredge material has to be put somewhere. In the old days, it was merely dumped beside the new channel, much as you do when shoveling snow from a sidewalk. As technology improved, the dredge was deposited in underwater spoil areas throughout the Bay, a process called open water placement. Some of these are still found on the charts as Discontinued Spoil Areas. You wonder about some of the more colorfully noted underwater features on fishing charts such as Dolly’s Lumps. The term “spoil,” by the way, is abhorred by the dredge industry, favoring the less toxic (pun intended) “dredge material” label instead.

Dredging is a constant priority for the Port and has been since Maryland’s beginnings. About 130 miles of numerous navigation channels require it, and in recent memory, much of it went to Hart Miller Island, that low, brush-cut-shaped shelf of land around the corner from the Patapsco River on the western shore above Baltimore.

What happened with Hart Miller starting in 1970 directly relates to Poplar Island today. The Port Authority didn’t think it necessary to seek public input for the project until late in the process, just when it was time to issue permits. Public opinion from nearby residential southeastern Baltimore County wasn’t kindly in favor, and suspicions about the origin and toxicity of some of the dredge material only served to heighten opposition. As a result, the project dragged on for years in the courts and the Legislature. The costs associated with building the island grew ever higher with each delay and subsequent mitigation order. This was the Waterloo moment for public distaste for large and intrusive government projects, much like the expressway battles being fought in Baltimore around the same time. The last barge of dredge arrived at Hart Miller in 2009. The Port Administration was left to lick its wounds, mend fences with an angry public, and find better ways of planning and means of communication if it ever hoped to be successful at finding new sites for dredge material in the future.

Back to the Future Fast forward to 2014, and Poplar, 16 miles south of Sandy Point State Park, accepts nothing but “clean” dredge, meaning material coming from the Baltimore approach channel from a point beyond the Patapsco River outside the Key Bridge down to the Bay Bridge. The decision to go with Poplar was driven by the state Legislature’s prohibition on creating new islands in the Bay. Since Poplar had been losing land to erosion for decades, a goal was set early on to return it to its 1847 surveyed size of 1100 acres. Discovered and settled in 1627 by William Claiborne, Copley’s Island (as it was originally called) flourished throughout the colonial period, and in recent times, was a hunting ground frequented by President Roosevelt, who came ashore via an abandoned ramp on nearby Jefferson Island. A black cat farm, whose coats were prized in China, fizzled when during a hard winter freeze, the cats escaped by walking across the ice to the Talbot County mainland. A town called Valliant emerged, but by the 1880s the destructive pressures of settlement and agriculture sped up the erosion process. No trace of Valliant remains.

By 1993 Poplar had sunk to only five acres and split into four islands. What happened next changed everything. The port had set to work developing the Dredged Material Master Plan, a 20-year effort that identified 475 potential dredge deposit sites, but this time a public process was set up before any decisions were made that included state, federal, and local agencies as well as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, citizen’s groups and private sector representation. Out of this elicitation of goodwill came a subsequent report that created the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project that would be much more than just a dumping ground.

Construction started in 1998, and the dredge began to arrive in 2001, with more than 25 million cubic yards of it to date. It’s both a working model and a living experiment of creating 550 acres each of wetland habitat, upland habitat, and public education programs so successful that a full-time position is funded just for that purpose. Because of the lost capacity due to the wetlands acreage, a 575-acre expansion was approved to add 1700 acres by 2029, and in the process protect the archipelago from northwest gales.

The Maryland Environmental Service, contracted under the Port Administration, oversees the project all under the watchful eye of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and also Ohio University, which is studying the return of terrapins and planting individual plugs of native grasses on the island. The place has the feel of a working construction site, which it is. But rather than roughshod grading of the dredge, here it is carved and culled into natural looking channels, habitat islands, and other landforms that make it look “returned to God,” as one person exclaimed during my visit. MPA partners with the Army Corps on many projects and boasts an award-winning program that includes stakeholder input throughout the dredging process.

Today, there are cormorants, common terns, and least terns on the island, even as the dredge is barged in and deposited. Raccoons and foxes aren’t prevalent predators, and the “Terrapin Head Start Program” fascinates and enthralls about 250 school groups a year. Poplar might be better now than it ever was, except perhaps in the eyes of mainland black cats.

To arrange your own tour of the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project, contact Megan Garrett, Tour Coordinator of the Maryland Environmental Service at (410) 770-6503 or by email at [email protected] . Tours leave from Tilghman aboard the MV Terrapin.

~by Steve Allan

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Poplar Island Tour

April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

April 12, 9am – noon. Limited to 24 people

A FREE ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS Poplar Island is in the Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island. It once was a viable community but was abandoned because of erosion that reduced it to about 3 acres. It is now over 1, 700 acres and is reborn as a wildlife habitat, providing a splendid home for birds and other wildlife. Maryland Environmental Service provides tours of the Island that are conducted by an environmental specialist. The tour takes you from Tilghman to Poplar Island by boat to connect with a bus and guide to see the Island. Tours cover erosion, the process of habitat restoration using dredged materials, water quality monitoring, and species diversity. Participants will also learn about cultural history on the Chesapeake from the 1600s through today.

The tour takes approximately 4 hours, which includes the 1/2 hour boat ride to and from the Island. Lunch is not provided, but feel free to bring snacks.

Reserve one of the limited spaces on the boat, by April 3rd. You should be at the boat dock in Tilghman about 15 minutes early, so if you are leaving from Oxford we recommend that you leave before 8:00 am to allow a little extra time in case the bridge to Tilghman opens. Tours are rain or shine. Portable toilets are available at the dock in Tilghman and restrooms are on the Island.

More about the Island http://www.poplarislandrestoration.com/

Reservations at https://oxfordcc.org/events/

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Quilting Retreat – It’s In The Bag

Historical surveys show that in 1847, Poplar Island boasted more than 1,100 acres. During the early 1900s, the island supported a thriving community of about 100 residents, several farms, a school, a church, a post office, and a sawmill. By the 1920s, residents began leaving the island as more and more of its landmass fell victim to erosion. The island’s remains were still used as a retreat in the 1930s and 1940s, and Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman were among its visitors. By the early 1990s, all that remained of the original island were several small clusters of islets rising just above the surface of the water. Reduced to about four acres, Poplar Island’s disappearance seemed imminent. However, key changes in environmental policy and dredged material management meant that the timing was right for the island's restoration.

The Maryland General Assembly declared that the Chesapeake Bay and the tidewater portions of its tributaries are a great natural asset and resource to the State and its counties and therefore required that all material dredged must be placed within a confined area or beneficially reused.

An interagency team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA), and many other Federal and State environmental agencies decided that restoring remote island habitat lost in the Chesapeake Bay was of great environmental value.

Through the Environmental Impact Statement process, the project’s partners began soliciting input from local communities, businesses, and environmental groups for suggestions on how to accomplish this effort. They decided to explore the possibility of using dredged material from the navigational channels leading to the Port of Baltimore to rebuild the island to its approximate 1847 footprint.

Following the necessary environmental studies, stakeholders, which included local government, business, conservation, and civic groups, decided that rebuilding Poplar Island was not only viable, but the project would create more than 1,000 acres of remote island habitat — a valuable regional habitat being lost due to natural processes at an alarming rate.

It is estimated that in the mid-Chesapeake Bay region, over 10,500 acres of this unique habitat have been lost due to erosive forces in the last 150 years! Their decision is seen by most as a "win-win" solution.

The remnants of the original Poplar Island consisted of clusters of low, marshy knolls and tidal mudflats. Using these remnants, engineers first constructed more than 35,000 feet of containment dikes using sand, rock, and stone. Once the island perimeter dikes were complete, dredged material placement began. During placement, dredged material is pumped in and the overlying water is discharged from the site, maximizing the island’s placement capacity. After multiple years of dredged material placement and discharge, the sediment is shaped to construct beneficial habitat features that serve as migratory resting and nesting spots to many of the Bay’s treasured waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as other regionally important wildlife.

Shortly after the first dredged material was placed on the island in the spring of 2001, Ospreys, egrets, terns, herons, eagles, terrapins, and other wildlife began to call the newly restored island home. Initial restoration efforts have been focused on developing wetlands that serve as a natural filter to improve water quality while providing valuable habitat for birds, crabs, small fish, and shellfish. Extensive engineering work has gone into the wetland development and the effort contributes significantly to the enhancement of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Poplar Island Project Team (USACE and MDOT MPA) is advised by the Poplar Island Working Group, which is composed of representatives of Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, educational institutions, and commercial entities with an interest in the success of the project. Through regularly scheduled project updates from the management teams and reviews of key planning documents and reports, the Working Group provides recommendations to the Project Team on regulatory compliance, habitat development and management, and resource monitoring.

The original Poplar Island project was planned to be over 1,140 acres in size with half developed as wetlands and half developed as uplands habitat. However, due to the need for more dredged material placement capacity and the project’s numerous habitat successes, Congress authorized a project expansion in 2007. Construction began in 2016 and includes a lateral expansion of 575 acres to the north as well as the raising of the existing upland dikes to maximize upland placement. Construction of the lateral expansion concluded in January 2021. The final project, including the expansion, is designed to contain about 68 million cubic yards of material, resulting in a total of 1,715 acres of restored remote island habitat consisting of approximately 776 acres of tidal wetlands, including low marsh and high marsh habitat, bird nesting islands, and open water ponds, and an upland portion of approximately 829 acres.

Additionally, the expansion includes a new habitat feature for the site, a 110-acre open water embayment with a depth of up to 12 feet. The Bay bottom in this area will remain primarily undisturbed, limiting impacts to the benthic habitat. This semi-protected fisheries habitat provides a vital trophic link between open water and restored wetlands, where wetlands provide a food source and nursery habitat for larger fish species. Large rock reefs constructed within the open water embayment add further complexity.

Planning for the development of the upland portion of the project is underway. The project team is considering the most desirable and achievable sub-habitats to include, such as scrub/shrub, forest, freshwater wetland, and meadow, and what unique challenges their construction will bring to the project. The construction of upland habitat will attract a new variety of species to the site and sediment transferred from uplands through stormwater will also be beneficial to the established marshes by increasing the marshes’ resiliency in response to the region’s projected sea-level rise. An upland test plot to better understand how to create these diverse habitats within dredged material is underway. Lessons learned from the experimental plot will be used when planning the over 800 acres of uplands still to be developed.

clock This article was published more than 11 years ago

Escapes: Rebuilding Maryland’s islands

Stepping off the gravel road encircling Poplar Island, I walked gingerly down a small hill, salt meadow hay crunching beneath my feet.

“Keep going,” urged Laura Baldwin, our guide. “Slowly.”

I took a few more steps, and suddenly, just feet in front of us, a mallard flew up from a hidden spot in the field. Baldwin walked to where the duck had been sitting, lifted a flap of grasses and revealed a nest of nine perfect eggs. I inched closer, delighted. This wasn’t what I’d been expecting when I signed up for a tour of the island, but for our first stop, it was a good start.

Details, Maryland’s rebuilt islands

For years, when I visited Tilghman Island on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, I’d heard about Poplar, and I knew that the critically eroded island was being rebuilt as a wildlife habitat. I’d seen it from afar by boat and had conjured up an image that wasn’t too far removed from Jurassic Park — a land thick with prehistoric plants and large, bizarre-looking animals.

But as the tour boat approached the island one morning in May, I saw minimal vegetation, long-necked excavators and dump trucks filled with earth. It was only then that I realized I knew nothing about this place, except that I’d have to relinquish my dinosaur fantasy.

Poplar Island is a work in progress, but it’s still one of the coolest free tours I’ve stumbled upon. The island, 12 miles south of the Bay Bridge, is one of several sites that Maryland is rebuilding, using material dredged from the bay’s shipping channels. To keep the shipping industry competitive, the state has to deepen the bay by an average of 21 feet to accommodate large cargo ships, which need 50 feet.

It's an ongoing challenge to find space for the roughly 5.2 million cubic yards of sediment that Maryland dredges each year (imagine FedEx Field filled to the top 2 1 / 2 times), but the state has come up with a clever solution: Restoration sites offer a space for the material while also providing desperately needed wintering and nesting spots for migratory and local species.

Currently, three sites offer public tours, and a fourth will open later this summer. It’s fascinating to watch the projects midstream; the engineering behind building islands and wetlands is remarkable.

On Poplar, after ogling the mallard eggs, we hopped aboard our tour van and continued driving around the boomerang-shaped island. Baldwin pointed out a thick grassy area that was part of the original Poplar.

We learned that the island once consisted of 1,100 acres and was home to about 100 residents — in the mid-1800s, there was a church, a general store and a sawmill, which ate up all the trees and helped contribute to erosion. In 1929, the national Democratic Party bought Poplar and neighboring Jefferson Island, where it built an exclusive men’s-only hunting club. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman were among the visitors.

By the 1990s, Poplar had eroded to barely five acres. So a team of federal and state agencies, headed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Environmental Service and the Maryland Port Administration, decided to restore it and started construction in 1998. When it’s completed, in 2039, it will include 1,715 acres of tidal wetland, upland and open-water habitat.

Building islands is an exhaustive process. You build the outside first, the way you would a jigsaw puzzle. A dike forms the perimeter, and barges deliver the dredged material to the interior. The sediment gets mixed with water to create a slurry — it looks like Nesquik — that’s deposited using mechanical or hydraulic unloading. Then the excess water is drained out, which can take years.

The island looks at times like a big science experiment. “This project is one of the first of its kind,” Baldwin said, noting that it has attracted international visitors. “We have what we call a trial-and-error plan.” For instance, more than 50 species of trees have been planted, and those that grow well in the dredge material will be scattered throughout an adjacent area that will become a forest.

As we drove, we saw a bald eagle flying overhead, an osprey nesting, a muskrat and a snake swimming, dozens of toads the size of Brussels sprouts, a duck followed by a half-dozen ducklings, cormorants occupying a small island, and a red-legged black-necked stilt walking in the sand. The sky was busy with the chattering of terns, willets and red-winged blackbirds.

Each fall, after diamondback terrapins hatch, some of them are loaned to Maryland schools, where kids raise them until the spring. Growing in captivity gives them a head start on wild living. “In May, the students release them back into the marshes,” Baldwin said. “There’s a lot of turtles out there that have been named Turtle or Bubbles.”

Closer to Baltimore, I toured two other sites. About 14 miles east of the Inner Harbor, Hart-Miller Island used to be two islands, which probably split from the mainland in the 1700s. Like Poplar, they eroded and are being restored as a single-island wildlife habitat, which will be completed in the next few years. It includes a boat-accessible state park with a sand beach and camping.

Our tour drove by mounds of dredged material, and I was surprised to see that it looks like rocky sand — not mucky, oily and dark, as I’d imagined. Still, some of the material is contaminated by heavy metals that have sunk to the bottom of the bay, so all sites have a rigorous water-testing program to check for pollutants and to make sure that none are being re-released into the water.

Cox Creek and Swan Creek Wetland is near an industrial park at the foot of Baltimore’s Key Bridge. Unlike the other sites, this one includes a dredged material dumping area and an adjacent wetland area that was created to provide habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.

There isn’t a big demand for tours here, but it’s a hot spot for birders. Nestled between the Constellation Energy and Millennium Chemical power plants, the wetlands offer a scarce haven for wildlife. Walking past four-foot-high cattails, I saw a painted turtle, deer tracks and a great blue heron. I smelled honeysuckle and heard Canada geese honking overhead. On the horizon lurked smokestacks and the giraffelike cranes used to take containers off cargo ships.

Back at Poplar, as we waited on the dock for our boat at the end of the tour, a school group from Easton arrived with two terrapins about to be returned to the wild. One of the students lifted the cover off a white pail, and I saw two hamburger-size creatures crawling around. “What are their names?” I asked.

He looked up, squinting. “They don’t have names,” he said. Then he grabbed the pail, caught up with his classmates and headed out onto the wild island.

Kaplan is a freelance writer in Washington. Her Web site is www.melaniedgkaplan.com .

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Poplar Island Tour

April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

POPLAR ISLAND TOUR: A FREE ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS

Limited to 24 people. Reserve one of the limited spaces on the boat, by April 3rd.

Poplar Island is in the Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island. It once was a viable community but was abandoned because of erosion that reduced it to about 3 acres. It is now over 1, 700 acres and is reborn as a wildlife habitat, providing a splendid home for birds and other wildlife. Maryland Environmental Service provides tours of the Island that are conducted by an environmental specialist. The tour takes you from Tilghman to Poplar Island by boat to connect with a bus and guide to see the Island.

The tour takes approximately 4 hours, which includes the 1/2 hour boat ride to and from the Island. Lunch is not provided, but feel free to bring snacks.

You should be at the boat dock in Tilghman about 15 minutes early, so if you are leaving from Oxford we recommend that you leave before 8:00 am to allow a little extra time in case the bridge to Tilghman opens. Tours are rain or shine.

HURRY AND REGISTER - REGISTER NOW - CLASSES CAN FILL FAST

FIELD TRIP: A Trip Back to Poplar Island
with Kristina Motley

(WE ARE SO SORRY, BUT THIS EVENT IS FULL AND WE CANNOT GET ANOTHER TOUR PUT TOGETHER BEFORE THE END OF THE SEASON) Have you been to Poplar Island recently to see the results of their renovation efforts? It has been four or five years since our last Academy for Lifelong Learning visit to Poplar Island, and we’ve been anxious to get back and see how the renovation efforts have progressed!

Mark your calendar for October 24 and plan to meet us out at the Tilghman Island Dock at 9am.

In 1994 an interagency team decided that restoring remote island habitat lost in the Chesapeake Bay was of great environmental value, and signed a Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Management Agreement committing to the beneficial use of dredged material from the navigational channels leading to the Port of Baltimore to restore island habitat. The island restoration project re-establishes the approximate size of the island in 1847. The project has resulted in more than 400 different species of wildlife and has documented more than 30 different birds confirmed as nesting.

Our tour covers a variety of topics pertaining to Poplar Island including the island’s history, the beneficial use of dredged material for habitat restoration, salt-marsh habitat, and wildlife sightings.

Join Kristina Motley, Senior Environmental Specialist, to learn about this unique story of habitat victories. Registration price covers CF expenses plus a donation to the program.

What to Expect: Our trip to Poplar Island will leave from the Maryland Environmental Service Tilghman Island dock (turn left on Chicken Point Road right after crossing the bridge) at 9 am and will include of a 30-minute boat ride to the island, a 2-hour bus tour with stops at points of interest and our tour room (with bathroom facilities), and a 30-minute boat ride back.

Kristina Motley

Course Type: Field Trip
Semester: Fall 2022

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WTS Baltimore Poplar Island Tour

Chesapeake bay, md | northeast region.

Upcoming Event: Tour of Poplar Island

WTS Baltimore is happy to announce two upcoming tours of Poplar Island ! Note these are all-day tours. PDH credits are available and lunch will be provided. Poplar Island is not open to the public and is only accessible via tours by Maryland Environmental Services (like this one!) This is your chance to visit a truly incredible location.

What is Poplar Island?

Poplar Island is an environmental restoration project located in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County that utilizes dredged materials from the approach channels to the Baltimore Harbor to r estore lost remote island habitat within the Chesapeake Bay.

The project is a partnership with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA), and many other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, educational institutions, and commercial entities. USACE and MDOT MPA began the project in the 1990s. The project is still in active construction.

Tour Dates and Times:

The tour is an all-day event. There will be two dates available for registration. WTS Baltimore will be running the tours on both Wednesday, September 7th and Friday, September 9th, 2022 . Transportation to Poplar Island will be provided.

All participants will be asked to meet at the Catonsville Park and Ride off of South Rolling Road at 7am. WTS will provide transportation from the Park and Ride to Tilghman Island (approximately a 2 hour drive) where we will catch a boat to Poplar Island. The boat ride is approximately 20-30 minutes. If you get motion sick, plan accordingly.

The tour of the island itself is approximately 2 hours . Half of the tour will consist of a bus tour with brief stops where you may step off the bus if you'd like. The rest of the tour will take place in a tour room where we will hear a presentation by a construction expert regarding the engineering and design of the island. This presentation will earn participants PDH credits. During this time, lunch will be provided by Panera Bread.

We will depart Tilghman Island by about 1pm for arrival back to the Park and Ride by approximately 3pm .

How to Prepare:

Please dress for the weather. This event will take place rain or shine.
Wear closed toe shoes and appropriate clothing.
Bring sunscreen and bug spray if you wish- it can be buggy this time of year.
Note that there is minimal walking required and you can stay on the bus if you wish to.
Note that the boat, bus, and tour room are air conditioned

Registration:

Spots are limited! The price for this event is $85 for members and $100 for non-members. There are only 24 available spots for each tour date.

September 7th Event: Register Here

September 9th event: register here.

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Port Administration

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Community: Tours

Tours are a great way to learn about the Port of Baltimore, its economic importance, and its relationship to the Chesapeake Bay.

Teachers learn about field experiences for students at the Hart-Miller Island dredged material placement site.

Port of Baltimore (for school groups only): An examination of the Port terminals and its impact on the economy, politics, culture, and environment helps prepare students for the transition from high school to post-secondary education and employment. An assessment of the Port and its impact integrates macro- and microeconomics with history, geography, political science, and environmental science. With advance notice, themes and timing can be tailored to your interests and schedule. Contact: [email protected] or 410-385-4438.

Poplar Island (for school groups, community organizations, and individuals): Tours and educational programs at Poplar Island in Talbot County focus on the beneficial use of dredged material to form remote island habitat. Tours will cover erosion and sedimentation, habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and species diversity. Participants will also learn about cultural history on the Chesapeake from the 1600's through today. With advance notice, themes and activities can be customized to your needs and interests. Contact: [email protected] or 410-770-6503.

Hart-Miller Island (for school groups and community groups): Tours and educational programs at Hart-Miller Island , located in the mouth of Back River in Baltimore County, focus on the dredged material containment operations, habitat restoration, environmental monitoring, and recreation. Study environmental science, along with the natural and cultural history of the Chesapeake Bay. With advance notice, themes and activities can be customized to your needs and interests. Contact: [email protected] or 410-729-8649.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION ------ Swan Creek Wetlands (for school groups and community groups): The Swan Creek wetlands are next to the Port’s dredged material placement site at Cox Creek, near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in northern Anne Arundel County. Tours introduce the wonders of wetland ecology and the issues and impact of the Port of Baltimore. Select from a range of topics and hand-on activities that include water quality testing, native flora and fauna, fish biology, the Port of Baltimore, and the Dredged Material Management Program. Contact: [email protected] or 410-729-8649.

Masonville Cove (for school groups and community groups): Tours and programs at Masonville Cove in Baltimore City connect students and residents with their natural environment. Activities include hands-on environmental education lessons that illustrate the importance of international trade, the Port of Baltimore, and habitat restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Contact: [email protected] or 410-729-8649.

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Poplar Island Tour – MEMBERS ONLY

September 1, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Poplar Island Tour – THS MEMBERS ONLY

NEW DATE: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Tuesday August 29th, 2023

We are excited to offer the members of the Talbot Historical Society a personal tour of Poplar Island for the second year in a row! The boat taking us to Poplar Island will depart from their base on Tilghman Island promptly at 9am and will return to Tilghman Island by noon on FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 .

The tour begins with a 20-minute boat ride to Poplar Island. We will then board an air-conditioned bus for a tour of the island and visitor’s center. “Tours and educational programs at Poplar Island focus on details related to the beneficial use of dredged material to restore remote island habitat. Tours cover erosion, the process of habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and species diversity. Participants will also learn about cultural history on the Chesapeake from the 1600s through today, including how in the past, the Poplar Island chain once hosted a thriving Bay community and later a retreat for politicians, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

Poplar Island Restoration Project Website: http://www.poplarislandrestoration.com/

Reservations are required

If you have any questions or wish to sign-up please contact the

Talbot Historical Society at

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Taking the Tour of Poplar Island

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Earlier this week we were able to join the FREE trip to Poplar Island. You get the vessel "Terrapin" located in Tilghman and make the short run to the now man made Island for a bus tour. The tour guides are very informative as they show you how the island is now getting rebuilt in the same size as it had been before man's impact to its shores. They explain that the island was constructed like a jigsaw puzzle. They first put out the edges with shield stone then have been filling the island in with dredge material from the Bay. Don't call that material "spoils"....seems that hurts their feelings as they think that has a negative sound. They do NOT take dredging from the harbors but only from the open bay waters. It seems they need to keep the channels dredged to 50 feet and they need to do something with the material so they view this as a win/win where they do not dispose of the dredge material in open water and it is making a wild life habitat in the process. The island has many inlets that permit bay water to come into wetland style "cells" for low land type habitat. They will also have high woodland habitat. They explained how they deposit the material in a slurry form through large pipes. The water drains away and then they have "crust management" where the solids are then dried and are able to be moved around and fashioned into an island. It was a fun morning (9-12) The proverbial 3 hour tour. We did see many old metal barges sunk in the island that had been an attempt to hold the shore years ago. Since these would have been impossible to move, they are still there. The wildlife is there. The big machinery is there. The tide comes in and out. Funding...comes from Port dollars and tax moneys. Value of the ports for Maryland...billions. Check it out sometime. Leslie sv "Tango"

The Chesapeake Bay Tartan Sailing Club did the tour a couple of years ago, I was sorry to have missed it...pretty cool though

How cool! I worked on the environmental impact statement for this project some years ago - had no idea they were offering tours - I'd love to see how the plans become reality; will definitely check it out. Thanx for posting!

I would like to go to Popular Island. I spent many, many weekends there in my early sailing times 35 years ago. I recall seeing a "wild" ram with horns there (obviously a long lost domestic ram). And wading in the shallows with hundreds of rays. Our boat drew only 3 feet back then and the chain of little islands (from just north of Coaches island around to the small inhabited island east of Poplar Island that formed the fairly well protected cove) was a perfect weekend getaway from West River. It was a shame when time and tide took away the islands, and I have to wonder about the Phoenix version of Poplar Island's future...

Great idea...Donna and I am going to try to do this. Dave

Us too - maybe we can try to do it as a SN group.

Do you have a copy of the link?

Baltimore District - Maryland Projects - Baltimore Harbor & Channels - Poplar Island Clay s/v 'Tango' Oxford,Md.

I think I'll revitalize this thread as I think this one of the few gov't projects that seems to be working...

?
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Poplar Island Tour - FULL

The event is open to CAPCA members, friends, and family.

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Poplar Island: Restoration, History, and the Port of Baltimore

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Last week, Congressional President Jon Pearlman and CFO Jon Kemezis were invited by the Port of Baltimore for a special, exclusive tour of Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay.

Poplar Island is an ecosystem restoration project located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County. It is funded 75% by the US Army Corps of Engineers and 25% by the MD Port Administration. The project began in the 1990s and is expected to be completed around 2044. The project uses dredged materials collected from the approach channels to the Baltimore Harbor. This dredging permits the large vessels carrying shipping containers to pass safely through the bay to the Port. With the dredged material, they restore remote island habitat within the mid-bay region. As the work is executed by the Maryland Environmental Service, great care is taken to ensure no harm to the surrounding environment.

Seeing the island is incredible, but understanding its history is even more so. The first official land survey of the island was conducted in 1847. In the 1800s, the island was home to a town named Valliant, which had a store, post office, school, and residences. By the 1900s, the island had reduced in size due to rising water levels. Over the years, it was owned by several private entities, including an exclusive men’s-only hunting and fishing club. Presidents Harry S. Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt visited during this period. During the War of 1812, the British staged troops on Poplar Island before raiding ship-building towns like St. Michaels and Kent Island. Campbell’s Soup also owned the island for a short period.

While the public isn’t allowed on the island (except on tours like ours), many fishing boats frequent the area around the island, known as a prime spot to catch Rockfish, Bluefish, and the invasive Chesapeake Blue Catfish. Our industry heavily depends on the Port of Baltimore as the primary receiver of all frozen shipping containers from around the world. Once the project is complete, the dredged area of the bay will accommodate larger ships, allowing more containers to arrive in Baltimore. These vessels need depths of 50 ft or more to navigate.

Sediment enters the shipping channels annually, necessitating regular dredging to maintain clear pathways. The Port of Baltimore supports over 15,000 jobs for Maryland residents and generates more than $2.6 billion in business revenues. In essence, it’s a win-win for everyone! Witnessing an environmental ecosystem restoration like Poplar Island is truly special.

We are grateful to the Port of Baltimore for an unforgettable day!

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Poplar Island

Poplar Island Tour

Learn more about our slate of upcoming talks and classes.

WC-ALL members enjoyed a tour of Poplar Island, a joint collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District and the Maryland Department of Transportation for restoring the island using dredged materials from the Baltimore Harbor. It is the largest engineering project of its kind in the U.S.

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Tour and Outreach Program Registration

Our outdoor education programs are aimed to inspire people with a sense of excitement and environmental stewardship for the natural resources around them. Field trips are available at Poplar Island, Hart-Miller Island, and Masonville. If your family, company, school, or class would like further information for one of the many tours available, please choose a tour below and register today!

IMPORTANT COX CREEK TOUR INFORMATION: Starting immediately, public access to the Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility and Swan Creek Wetlands are strictly prohibited, due to the start of construction of the Cox Creek expansion project. This restriction is for your safety and well-being as heavy equipment will be mobilizing on the site during normal operating hours, Monday – Friday. Construction and elevation of the dikes is expected to last until 2025, based on the current schedule. However, we are working to identify alternative access options to the wetlands area during the construction period. We will keep you informed when the area becomes accessible to the public. In the meantime, we hope you will consider visiting one of our other local sites, like Masonville Cove.

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Poplar Island

Localities in the Area

Tilghman island.

Type: Island
Description: island in the United States of America
Category: landform
Location: Talbot County , Maryland , Mid-Atlantic , United States , North America
View on OpenStreetMap

Poplar Island Satellite Map

Also Known As

Cebuano: Poplar Island (pulo sa Estados Unidos, Maryland, Talbot County)
Cebuano: Poplar Island
Dutch: Poplar Island
French: Poplar Island
Bomelaer Waerd Isle
Popeles Island
Popelese Island
Popeleyes Island
Poplar Als Bomelaer Waerd Isle
Poplers Island
Poples Island
Popleys Island
Poplies Island
Popplers Island

Other Places Named Poplar Island

Valliant Locality
Deep Harbor Hamlet, 3½ miles southeast
Deep Harbour Farm Estates Hamlet, 4 miles southeast
Tilghman Locality, 4½ miles southeast
Avalon Neighborhood, 4½ miles southeast

Landmarks in the Area

Poplar Harbor Harbor
Jefferson Island Islet
Valliant Point Cape
North Point Cape
Coaches Island Islet

Popular Destinations in Maryland

Escape to a random place.

IMAGES

Return to Poplar Island
New Photos: Poplar Island "Almost Complete"
New Photos: Poplar Island "Almost Complete"
Poplar Island: A story of successful restoration
Eternally Christmas at Poplar Island
Twenty-five years of work at Poplar Island brings improved habitat, expanded use of dredged

VIDEO

476 Poplar Island
Visitors from Long Island attend Poplar Bluff eclipse party
45 Poplar Plains Crescent, Toronto, ON
coral island mahoni and poplar tree
Dramatic Emergency Landing at Sherwood Island, Westport
Walking Around Poplar Island in Fish Creek Along Bow River Pathway

COMMENTS

Poplar Island Tour
7 Ed Notes. Poplar Island Tour. October 15, 2022 by Spy Desk. Over the last three decades, an intensive effort to recreate Poplar Island has resulted in a vibrant flyway for more than 400 different species of wildlife and nesting habitat for more than 30 different birds. To see for yourself, join Chesapeake Forum for " A Trip Back to Poplar ...
Poplar Island Tours
talbotcountymd. 2,228 3,624. The official tourism account for #talbotcountymd on Maryland's Eastern Shore! #ilovetalbotcounty. Mother`s Day is this weekend! Treat Mom to a ... 2 0. Many congratulations to the finalists of the ... 0 0. Enjoy a harmonious evening with husband-and-wife ...
Poplar Island
To schedule a tour or virtual presentation, please contact the MES Poplar Island Tour Coordinator, call 410-770-6503, or follow the link below: SCHEDULE A TOUR OR VIRTUAL PRESENTATION. POPLAR ISLAND IN THE NEWS. Does Rebuilding an Island Rebuild Fish Habitat? December 15, 2022 Read More ...
FIELD TRIP to Poplar Island from Tilghman Island
Our trip to Poplar Island will leave from the Maryland Environmental Service Tilghman Island dock (turn left on Chicken Point Road right after crossing the bridge) at 9 am. The trip includes a 30-minute boat ride to the island, a 2-hour bus tour with stops at points of interest, including a visit to the project display room (with bathroom ...
Poplar Island
Mainland Boat Dock - 21548 Chicken Point Road, Tilghman, MD 21671 (410) 729-8200. Poplar Island is one of those must-see birding destinations in Maryland. The island is an environmental restoration project located in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland, due west of Tilghman Island. Along with Hart-Miller Island, Masonville Cove, and ...
See the Bay: Poplar Island
Poplar might be better now than it ever was, except perhaps in the eyes of mainland black cats. To arrange your own tour of the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project, contact Megan Garrett, Tour Coordinator of the Maryland Environmental Service at (410) 770-6503 or by email at [email protected].
Poplar Island Tour
April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Cost: Free - RSVP. Special Event. POPLAR ISLAND TOUR: A FREE ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. Wednesday, April 12th 9am-12pm. Limited to 24 people. Poplar Island is in the Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island. It once was a viable community but was abandoned because of erosion that reduced it to about ...
Poplar Island Tour
April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. April 12, 9am - noon. Limited to 24 people. Poplar Island is in the Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island. It once was a viable community but was abandoned because of erosion that reduced it to about 3 acres. It is now over 1, 700 acres and is reborn as a wildlife habitat, providing a splendid home for birds ...
About
About. Historical surveys show that in 1847, Poplar Island boasted more than 1,100 acres. During the early 1900s, the island supported a thriving community of about 100 residents, several farms, a school, a church, a post office, and a sawmill. By the 1920s, residents began leaving the island as more and more of its landmass fell victim to erosion.
Poplar Island Tour
August 12, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Poplar Island Tour - THS MEMBERS ONLY. We are excited to offer the members of the Talbot Historical Society a personal tour of Poplar Island on Friday August 12th, 2022. The boat taking us to Poplar island will depart from their base on Tilghman Island promptly at 9am and will return to Tilghman Island by ...
Poplar Island (Chesapeake Bay)
Poplar Island (Chesapeake Bay) / 38.76694°N 76.38167°W / 38.76694; -76.38167. Poplar Island is a 3-mile-long (4.8-kilometer-long) island located on the Chesapeake Bay, part of Talbot County, Maryland. In the late 1800s it had a population of 100 living in the town of Valliant but it was abandoned by the 1920s due to erosion of the island.
Escapes: Rebuilding Maryland's islands
Poplar Island is a work in progress, but it's still one of the coolest free tours I've stumbled upon. The island, 12 miles south of the Bay Bridge, is one of several sites that Maryland is ...
Poplar Island Tour
April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. POPLAR ISLAND TOUR: A FREE ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. Limited to 24 people. Reserve one of the limited spaces on the boat, by April 3rd. Poplar Island is in the Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island. It once was a viable community but was abandoned because of erosion that reduced it to about 3 acres.
FIELD TRIP: A Trip Back to Poplar Island
Mark your calendar for October 24 and plan to meet us out at the Tilghman Island Dock at 9am. In 1847, Poplar Island boasted more than 1,100 acres and during the early 1900s, the island supported a thriving community of about 100 residents, several farms, a school, a church, a post office, and a sawmill. By the 1920s, residents began leaving ...
WTS Baltimore Poplar Island Tour
The tour is an all-day event. There will be two dates available for registration. WTS Baltimore will be running the tours on both Wednesday, September 7th and Friday, September 9th, 2022. Transportation to Poplar Island will be provided. All participants will be asked to meet at the Catonsville Park and Ride off of South Rolling Road at 7am.
Pages
Contact: [email protected] or 410-770-6503. Hart-Miller Island (for school groups and community groups): Tours and educational programs at Hart-Miller Island, located in the mouth of Back River in Baltimore County, focus on the dredged material containment operations, habitat restoration, environmental monitoring, and recreation.
Poplar Island Tour
The tour begins with a 20-minute boat ride to Poplar Island. We will then board an air-conditioned bus for a tour of the island and visitor's center. "Tours and educational programs at Poplar Island focus on details related to the beneficial use of dredged material to restore remote island habitat.
Taking the Tour of Poplar Island
Taking the Tour of Poplar Island. Earlier this week we were able to join the FREE trip to Poplar Island. You get the vessel "Terrapin" located in Tilghman and make the short run to the now man made Island for a bus tour. The tour guides are very informative as they show you how the island is now getting rebuilt in the same size as it had been ...
Poplar Island Tour
CAPCA is sponsoring a trip to Poplar Island on Monday, Oct 14. The trip is limited to 24 participants. ... Advance sign-up is required, and you must be registered with CAPCA for the Poplar Island tour. Event Properties Event Date 10-14-2019 8:45 am Event End Date 10-14-2019 12:00 pm Cut off date 09-27-2019 12:00 pm Capacity 24 Registered 24 ...
Poplar Island: Restoration, History, and the Port of Baltimore
Poplar Island is an ecosystem restoration project located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County. It is funded 75% by the US Army Corps of Engineers and 25% by the MD Port Administration. The project began in the 1990s and is expected to be completed around 2044. The project uses dredged materials collected from the approach ...
Poplar Island Tour
September 20, 2023. WC-ALL members enjoyed a tour of Poplar Island, a joint collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District and the Maryland Department of Transportation for restoring the island using dredged materials from the Baltimore Harbor. It is the largest engineering project of its kind in the U.S.
Tour and Outreach Program Registration
Tour and Outreach Program Registration. Our outdoor education programs are aimed to inspire people with a sense of excitement and environmental stewardship for the natural resources around them. Field trips are available at Poplar Island, Hart-Miller Island, and Masonville. If your family, company, school, or class would like further ...
Poplar Island Map
Poplar Island is a 3-mile-long island located on the Chesapeake Bay, part of Talbot County, Maryland. In the late 1800s it had a population of 100 living in the town of Valliant but it was abandoned by the 1920s due to erosion of the island. ... Sherwood is an unincorporated community in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. Sherwood is ...