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 Hart Miller Island beach at sunset. Photo credit: Katrina Jones, MDOT/MPA
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Former MDOT MPA Deputy Director for Harbor Development Honored
A legacy of environmental achievements was honored on September 25, 2021, at the Masonville Environmental Education Center (MCEEC). There, former Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) Deputy Director of Harbor Development Frank Hamons was recognized for his longtime contributions by having the Great Room named in his honor.
Hamons joined MDOT MPA in 1980, and over the course of his career, led MDOT MPA to become one of the international leaders in innovative and beneficial reuse of dredged sediment. Hamons was instrumental in the development, construction, and operation of Poplar Island and Hart-Miller Island, which were both rebuilt after decades of erosion using sediment dredged from Port of Baltimore channels. Those islands today are home to hundreds of wildlife and waterfowl species. Hamons also helped lead the significant environmental restoration project at Masonville Cove in Baltimore that removed more than 61,000 tons of trash and debris and developed that area into an award-winning urban wildlife park with walking trails and bird watching.
 On hand to help honor Hamons were MDOT MPA Acting Program Manager for Education and Stakeholder Engagement Katrina Jones, National Aquarium Vice President of Conservation Programs Laura Bankey, MCEEC Director Lorraine Andrews Warnick, MDOT MPA Executive Director William P. Doyle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office Project Leader Genevieve LaRouche, and Living Classrooms Foundation President and CEO James Piper Bond. Photo credit: Richard Scher/MDOT MPA
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Port of Baltimore’s “Green Business is Good Business” Approach Showcased at Clean Air Webinar
A September webinar hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association, Inc. (MARAMA) showcased the Port of Baltimore’s “Green Business is Good Business” approach.
Nearly 100 participants tuned in to learn more about what East Coast ports have done to find cost-effective ways to reduce emissions through new strategies and technologies.
MDOT MPA Manager of Environmental Compliance and Stewardship Cindy Hudson was a featured presenter and shared information about Maryland’s Inter-Agency Air Quality Voluntary Work Group, emissions reduction initiatives, and efforts to develop partnerships and prioritize strong community outreach.
“As the Port of Baltimore continues to grow, our air emissions have continued to decline. This is because the Port’s air emission reduction projects have been highly successful,” said Hudson.
 The webinar was hosted by MARAMA, a voluntary, non-profit association of ten state and local air pollution control agencies. View Hudson’s presentation here.
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Island Hopping – from Poplar to Aruba
This summer, scientists from the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) teamed up with partners from the USFWS and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to outfit 18 adult and 24 juvenile common terns with small radio-transmitters.
One of the 18 adults was recently spotted in Aruba by a community scientist. This bird was first banded as a chick in 2017 as part of long-term research on waterbird colonies on Poplar Island, a Chesapeake Bay restoration site funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and MDOT MPA that utilizes dredged material from the navigational channels leading to the Port of Baltimore.
“After being recaptured and fitted with a radio transmitter in June 2021, the common tern traveled more than 1850 miles to Aruba, where it will either remain until next spring or rest before continuing migration to wintering grounds as far south as Peru,” said EESC Research Biologist Diann Prosser, Ph.D.
 The data gathered by the radio transmitters will help inform conservation efforts. Common terns are listed as endangered in Maryland. Photo credit: Michael Tromp; Map Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
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Storage Solution for Education Campus
Doesn’t everyone wish they had more storage space? The MCEEC is no exception. With no basement or attic, it has been a challenge to find places to store all the gear for the educational and community programs hosted by this unique urban nature facility located along the Patapsco River’s Middle Branch.
Two members of the Baltimore Port Alliance's Environmental Committee came to the rescue, making a generous donation of a retired and refurbished shipping container from Ports America Chesapeake and transportation of the container to the site underwritten thanks to the generosity of BalTerm Corporation.
“It was our pleasure to support the great work at Masonville,” said C. Steinweg’s General Manager, Rupert Denney, who serves as co-chair of the BPA’s Environmental Committee. “We hope this additional storage space makes it easier to manage all the ancillary equipment needed to support their amazing programs.”
 MCEEC is operated in partnership with the Living Classrooms Foundation, the National Aquarium, USFWS, and MDOT MPA. Photo credit: Dan Spack/EcoLogix Group, Inc.
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Busy, Fun-Filled Weekend at Masonville Cove
The last weekend of September was a busy, fun-filled one at Masonville Cove. Starting on Friday, September 24, Masonville served as a site for Audubon’s award-winning Baltimore Birding Weekend, an exciting itinerary of bird-watching field trips in and around Baltimore. At Masonville, participants spotted 45 species, including tricolored heron and Connecticut warbler.
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Saturday and Sunday brought 130 visitors to enjoy an Urban Wildlife Conservation Celebration, where partners hosted a weekend of opportunities to fish, hike, kayak, and observe wildlife at this urban nature oasis.
Located in South Baltimore, Masonville Cove is the nation's first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership, home to a green building nature center, and beautiful waterfront public trails. Everyone is encouraged to come and explore this neighborhood green space. Visit www.masonvillecove.org to learn more.
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Photo Credit: Jillian Ball/MDOT MPA
 Photo: The Masonville Cover partnership provided outdoor games and family-friendly activities during the Urban Wildlife Conservation celebration, September 25-26, 2021. Forty-one people participated in free, guided kayaking for beginners for ages 16 and up. Photo Credit: Jillian Ball/MDOT MPA
 Photo: MDOT MPA Executive Director William P. Doyle, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jamie Pinkham, and MDOT MPA Director of Harbor Development Kristen Fidler at the National Urban Wildlife Conservation celebration. Photo credit: Richard Scher/MDOT MPA
During the celebration, Living Classrooms Foundation donated $1,000 to Harbor City Links, Inc. The Links, Inc. is an international, not-for-profit corporation established in 1946. The membership consists of nearly 14,000 professional women of color in 283 chapters located in 41 states.
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Photo (Above): From left to right: Harbor City Links, Inc. National Trends and Services and Wild STEM Lead Gail Johnson, Harbor City Links. Inc. President Savonne Ferguson, and consultant to MDOT MPA and member of The Links, Inc., Dr. Mamie Parker. Photo credit: Jillian Ball/MDOT MPA. Photo (Left): Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates and Links member Adrienne A. Jones (left), observes a raised plant bed with Links member Katrina Lynn Robinson. Speaker Jones also presented the Masonville Cove partners with a proclamation acknowledging the partnership with Harbor City Links, Inc. Photo credit: Mamie Parker/Ecologix |
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A Fantastic “Big Day” of Birding in Baltimore
Nico Sarbanes had a big idea for a big day. The Baltimore native and lifelong birder reached out to Maryland Environmental Service Senior Environmental Specialist Timothy Carney to propose the idea of doing a Baltimore Big Day. For birders, Big Days are when they try to identify as many bird species as they possibly can in a single day in a specific area.
Carney agreed, and a small group of birders gathered for the Baltimore Big Day (which included sites in Baltimore City and Baltimore County) on May 14, 2021. Beginning at 4:30 a.m., over the next 17 hours, the enthusiastic crew visited 11 locations and walked 26,000 steps, finishing with a new Baltimore record of 133 species recorded in a single day! About mid-day, the group visited Masonville Cove, where Sarbanes spotted his favorite bird of the day—not just one, but five semipalmated plovers.
Read a detailed account of the Baltimore Big Day at FindYourChesapeake.com, a partnership website from the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office and Chesapeake Conservancy.
 Photo: The team (from left to right): Tim Carney, Nico Sarbanes, Kojo Baidoo, and Claire Wayner. Photo credit: Kojo Baidoo
 Photo: Sarbanes’ favorite bird of the day was this semipalmated plover at Masonville Cove. Photo credit: Nico Sarbanes
 Photo: Yellow-crowned night-heron along the Gwynns Falls in West Baltimore. Photo credit: Nico Sarbanes
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Our meetings are open to the public. Since these meetings are virtual, if you are not on a meeting distribution list and would like to attend, please visit maryland-dmmp.com for details and access information.
Cox Creek DMCF Open House – October 16th at 10 am – 2 pm
This event is free and open to the public, family-friendly with fun activities for everyone including riding tour for the containment facility, self-guided birding, Touch-A-Truck, a chance to meet our diamondback terrapins from the Port’s terrapin head start program, and play games! To learn more please visit the Facebook Event bit.ly/CoxCreek2021.
Cox Creek Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting - October 13th at 5:30 PM
Virtual
For questions or to confirm attendance please contact ecoport@marylandports.com.
Hart-Miller Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting - October 19th at 6:30 PM
Virtual
For questions or to confirm attendance please contact ecoport@marylandports.com.
DMMP Citizens Advisory Committee/Harbor Team Meeting - November 10th at 6:00PM
Virtual
For questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
Mid-Bay Public Hearing - November 15th at 6:00PM
Madison Volunteer Fire Department
1165 Taylors Island Rd
Madison, MD 21648
For questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
DMMP Management Committee Meeting - November 17th at 10:00AM
Virtual
or questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
Innovative Reuse Committee Workshop - November 23rd at 5:30PM
Virtual
For questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
DMMP Executive Committee Meeting - December 2nd at 10:00AM
TBD
For questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
DMMP Annual Committee Meeting - December 3rd at 10:00AM
Virtual
For questions or to confirm attendance please visit maryland-dmmp.com.
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ECO Port Newsletter is the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration’s bi-monthly update of projects and programs that help the agency contribute to a thriving economy, environmental stewardship, and community partnerships. As always, we thank the many private sector businesses, government leaders, communities, and individual citizens who have helped make these achievements a reality. |
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William P. Doyle, Executive Director
MDOT Maryland Port Administration
The World Trade Center
401 East Pratt Street, Baltimore MD 21202
1-800-638-7519 / www.marylandports.com
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