chesapeake bay adaptation designing marshes for...
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Chesapeake Bay adaptation –
Designing marshes for 2100
David Curson, National Audubon Society Erik Meyers, The Conservation Fund
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
“Maryland’s Everglades”
Biological Resources: •Most extensive contiguous tidal marsh in NE U.S.
• Diversity of wetland and forest habitats.
• 27,000 acres, in a 200,000 acre natural landscape.
• Conservation priorities:
• Wintering waterfowl
• Bald Eagle
• Tidal marsh birds
• Delmarva Fox Squirrel
Important Bird Area of global significance
- tidal marsh birds
Saltmarsh Sparrow
WatchList: Red category
Black Rail:
WatchList Red category
Seaside Sparrow
WatchList:Red category
Importance to regional economy
Ecosystem services:
• Tourism and recreation - $27 million annually
• Commercial fisheries – vital nursery grounds in tidal
creeks.
• Buffer against storm surges – protecting properties.
• Filter sediments and nutrient pollution – improving
Chesapeake Bay water quality.
TCF Acquisitions
Refuge Land
MD DNR Land
The Conservation Fund Work at
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Disappearing marshland….
1938 1957 1989
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Hurricane Isabel Flooding Risk
Sea Level Rise Height Increases +
Hurricane Isabel Flooding Risk
0.5 meters 1.5 meters
1.0 meters 2.0 meters
Hurricane Isabel Flooding Risk
Sea Level Rise Height Increases +
Hurricane Isabel Flooding Risk
0.5 meters 1.5 meters
1.0 meters 2.0 meters
Blackwater National Wildlife
Refuge
Data from VIMS, Noblis, Inc. & CBOS
Sea level rise and storms – an
increasing threat to Blackwater
Marsh migration creates new salt marsh
Tidal marshes for the future?
Conservation needs
1. Facilitate tidal marsh migration:
• Protect migration corridors from
development, shoreline hardening.
• Assist marsh migration via habitat
management.
2. Enhance ecological integrity of tidal marshes to
increase resilience to sea level rise.
SLR adaptation plan for
Dorchester County, Md
Project components -
1. Strategic assessment of current conditions
and predicted impacts
2. Comprehensive strategy for SLR
adaptation
3. Communications strategy to build
support.
2-year project; May 2011 – May 2013
Strategic Assessment: 1. Map and prioritize potential
marsh migration corridors.
• Build upon mapping done by Maryland DNR
using SLAMM 6.01.
• Incorporate additional factors to derive marsh
suitability surface map:
• Current land cover.
• Roads (and other barriers to marsh migration)
• Ditches (conduits of tidal influence)
• RTE species (Delmarva Fox Squirrel)
• Soil type.
• Salt marsh bird habitat-landscape
requirements.
Strategic Assessment: 2. Map areas of high marsh habitat of
highest priority for salt marsh birds
• Unique salt marsh bird assemblage needs
Spartina meadows in high marsh for nesting.
• Habitat-landscape models will be developed to
characterize highest priority marshes.
• Bird and habitat data collected in 2011
marshbird survey.
• Models will also inform prioritization of new
future marshes.
Strategic Assessment: 3. Map areas most suitable for
marsh restoration activities.
• Sediment spraying to raise marsh elevation
• Invasive species control (Phragmites).
• Ditch modifications (plugging / unplugging)
• Pine removal to accelerate marsh establishment?
Comprehensive strategy
1. Land protection and
marsh migration
Designate corridors to
future “home”.
Strategic site selection.
Innovative funding
Eliminate barriers
2. Marsh restoration
and management for
bird habitat
Prioritize locations,
BMPs.
BMPs for newly tidal
land.
Communication strategy: Build
support for implementation
•Increase awareness of impacts of SLR, and
what is at stake in future.
•Build appreciation that SLR must be addressed
now.
•Give local residents and managers opportunity
to tell their stories about changes.
•Refine messages for diverse audiences
Many partners and advisors…
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
US Army Corps of Engineers
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Chesapeake Conservancy
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Moving toward 2100….