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Great News! Barn Owl Nest Found at Poplar Island
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Barn owls (Tyto alba) are an “S2B” or State Rare Breeding species in Maryland, with a declining population due to loss of habitat and poisoning from rodenticide. They have been observed intermittently on Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island since 2010. However, no nesting activity was ever confirmed until this summer when Maryland Environmental Service (MES) Senior Environmental Specialist Tim Carney discovered a barn owl nest with six precious eggs hidden inside a large amphibious vehicle used to conduct marsh surveys. |
Through consultations with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, experts determined the nest could not be relocated. Ongoing site operations were modified to keep disturbance to a minimum near the nesting site to help ensure a successful nesting season.
 Top Photo: Barn owl nest at Poplar Island - The amphibious vehicle that is housing the nest will remain idle for the rest of the nesting season until the three nestlings are ready to fledge. Sadly, three of the six eggs did not hatch. Photo credit: Tim Carney, MES Bottom Photo: Courtesy of Maryland Park Service, Department of Natural Resources
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Port of Baltimore & Partners Achieve New Initiatives for Cleaner Air and Rail Modernization
The Port of Baltimore (POB) is excited to participate with RoadOne and IKEA in a one-month test of a 100% Nikola Motor Electric Truck (E-Truck) to transport containers between the Port and Perryville. “This is huge for the POB, with savings of over 11k gallons of fuel per truck per year,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) Executive Director William Doyle: “With support from an award made to the POB under EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Program, RoadOne will be purchasing two new E-Trucks in the near future for dedicated haulage of containerized cargo shipments on behalf of IKEA.
 Photo: L to R – Senior VP of Operations at RoadOne, Andrew Blanchard; MDOT MPA Executive Director William Doyle; President and CEO of RoadOne, Ken Kellaway; and MDOT MPA Director of Marketing, Richard Powers Photo Credit: Bill McAllen, Bill McAllen Photography
Additionally, the POB was awarded a grant totaling $15.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail and Infrastructure Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program for a Rail Capacity Modernization Project. The funds will be used to build four new rail tracks adding 17,670 track feet and two crane rail beams, totaling 7,000 linear feet within the Seagirt Terminal. The project will boost job creation while significantly improving air quality in areas around the Port.
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MDOT MPA Hosted Tours to Mid-Bay Project Stakeholders at Poplar Island
On July 8th and 9th, MDOT MPA successfully hosted tours at Poplar Island for 30 stakeholders of the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project (Mid-Bay Project). Participants, mainly from the Dorchester County area, had the opportunity to observe a plethora of habitats and wildlife, while learning about the work being done at Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island, and how it will compare to the 2,144-acre Mid-Bay Project.
 The Mid-Bay Island Project will replace Poplar Island as the main recipient of dredged material from the Chesapeake Bay federal shipping channels. Once complete, the Mid-Bay Project will be comprised of approximately 55% wetland and 45% upland habitats and provide 90-95 million cubic yards for dredged material capacity over the next 30 years. Find more information on the Mid-Bay Project here .
Top Photo: Mid-Bay Project stakeholders on a bus tour of Poplar Island Bottom Photo: MDOT MPA team explaining in detail the Mid-Bay Project during the Poplar Island during site visit. Photo Credits: Amanda Peñafiel, MDOT MPA
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TURNER STATION CONSERVATION TEAMS SHARES FLEMING PARK RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE
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In May, Turner Station Conservation Teams (TSCT) and project partners MDOT MPA and Chesapeake Bay Foundation hosted an open house for the Fleming Park Restoration Project at the Fleming Senior Center in the historic neighborhood of Turner Station.
Supported by design consultants Mahan Rykiel Associates and Anchor QEA, the event provided an update on the preliminary design of dredged material reuse for wetland creation and shoreline restoration planned to enhance the park’s resiliency and ecologic benefits, as well as improve public access. Poster boards outlining the planning needs and design layouts were shared with the public during a Q&A session, followed by a site walk of the park to discuss specific design features and planned improvements.
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Photo: Project team member answering community questions on design during poster board session. Photo Credit: Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc
 Photo: Attendees learn more about the area’s history as part of the site walk at Fleming Park. Photo Credit: Credit: Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc.
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First Youth Birding Week at Port of Baltimore Sites was Successful!
Ten lucky youths from around the Baltimore area had the opportunity to spend a week learning the basics of birding and Maryland’s unique habitats created at the Port of Baltimore’s dredged material containment sites. The seven- to 10-year-olds learned how to use binoculars, birding guides, and eBird for bird identification, and about the different habitats needed for specific birds. They started each morning at the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center and traveled from there to learn about osprey and bird banding on Poplar Island, the diverse species of fish birds rely on at Swan Creek at Cox Creek, and the unique birds nesting at Hart-Miller Island.
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On the final day, the children celebrated by presenting posters to their parents, who also took part in birding activities at Masonville Cove. They enjoyed the adventurous and educational week, and one of the kids even said, “This was one of my best weeks ever.”
Photo: The week was made even more special as each child became an expert on a particular bird. Photo credit: Emily Sperling, MES
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Group photo at Poplar Island
The fun-while-learning experience was funded in part by the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Photo credit:
Katrina Jones, MDOT MPA
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Masonville Cove is a Major Hub for Environmental and STEM Education this Summer
Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF) manages the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus and provides under-resourced communities with environmental education, stewardship activities, and academic enrichment.
With the support of external donors, including Maryland State Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers, South Baltimore Getaway Partnership, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Hinkey-Benson Family Fund, Thalheimer Foundation, and The Nora Roberts Foundation, the Living Classrooms BEESMART Summer Program (Baltimore Environmental Education Summer Math and Reading Trailblazers) serves 3rd through 5th graders and uses STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to increase reading levels, and ultimately prevent summer learning loss. Also, students engage in hands-on experiments and cool projects such as building underwater robots with video cameras.
 Photo: BEESMART student fishing at Masonville Cove pier! Photo credit: Lily S., LCF
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Port of Baltimore Environmental Education Team Provided First Program in Spanish
The Port of Baltimore Environmental Education Team at MES (POB EE) provided the first classroom outreach program in both English and Spanish entitled “Diamonds in the Bay.” In June, educators met with Rock Creek Forest Elementary School Spanish Immersion Program’s students, where they shared more information about the Port’s operations, the beneficial use of dredged material in restoring Poplar Island, and the beloved diamondback terrapins that call Poplar Island home.
“By offering lessons in Spanish, we are working to increase accessibility within the environmental field, ensuring that every student has access to the important science education that we provide,” said POB EE educator Elana Kellner. Participants also learned about the biology and the different types of “adaptaciones” that make terrapins unique and help them survive in the wild.
 Photo: POB EE educator Matias Orrego presenting in Spanish to Rock Creek Forest Elementary School students. Photo credit: Emily Sperling, MES
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These committee meetings are open to the public. Some meetings may be virtual or in-person in accordance with COVID protocols. Please visit maryland-dmmp.com for details and access information for each meeting. For questions, please contact ecoport@marylandports.com.
DMMP Executive Committee Meeting - August 23rd at 1:00PM
MDOT Headquarters
7201 Corporate Center Drive, Hanover, MD 21076T Headquarters
DMMP Citizens Advisory Committee/Harbor Team Meeting and Masonville CAC
September 21st at 5:30PM
Location TBD
DMMP Management Committee Meeting - September 28th at 10:00AM
Location TBD
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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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