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Port Welcomes New Executive Director
In January, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld announced the appointment of Jonathan Daniels as the new executive director of the Maryland Port Administration (MPA).
Daniels brings more than 30 years of port and economic development experience, most recently serving as chief executive officer and director at Port Everglades in Broward County, Florida. He also led the Mississippi State Port Authority and worked for the Port of Oswego in New York and the Eastern Maine Development Corporation.
“We’re excited to have someone of Jonathan Daniels’ stature join us in such a pivotal role leading the Maryland Port Administration,” said Secretary Wiedefeld. “Jonathan’s strong experience leading major U.S. ports and his unique economic development background makes him the perfect choice for the Port of Baltimore as we continue to advance significant projects that will grow business and increase job opportunities.”
 Photo: At Port Everglades, Daniels led the 13th busiest container port in the U.S., the busiest energy port in Florida, and the third busiest cruise homeport in the world with an annual economic impact of $33 billion, supporting 216,000 statewide jobs.
Photo by Port Everglades
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Coyote Sightings Increase at Masonville Cove
For USFWS Urban Wildlife Biologist Ela-Sita Carpenter, Ph.D., coyote sightings at Masonville Cove are especially meaningful. After all, it was only her second day on the job in 2021 when the Baltimore native documented a pair of coyotes—a rare sighting at the nation’s first urban wildlife refuge partnership. Since then, coyote sightings at Masonville Cove—even during the daytime—have increased due to the pair successfully raising young.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR), coyotes were first documented in Maryland in 1972. Maryland and Delaware are the last two states in the contiguous United States to be colonized by coyotes.
“If you see a coyote, don’t be afraid. Most will want to avoid people. Making noise—shouting, clapping, whistling—and waving your arms will encourage it to move along,” said Dr. Carpenter. “It’s also important to keep human food away from coyotes. A tossed apple core may teach coyotes that people are an easy food source, which could lead to negative interactions between us.”
 Photo: At Masonville Cove, the presence of coyotes and their young, bald eagles, numerous migratory bird species, and even a turkey suggests restoration efforts have made Masonville Cove a successful home for wildlife.
Trail Cam Photo by Ela-Sita Carpenter, Ph.D./USFWS
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MPA Mitigation Funding Supports Three Environmental Projects
MPA mitigation funds for impacts to the Chesapeake Bay critical area stemming from an important dike-raising project at the Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility will benefit three environmental projects conducted by Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) nonprofit grantees, two of which are MPA partners at Masonville Cove.
A $125,000 grant to Baltimore Green Space will increase public engagement and restore Springfield Woods, a 2.5-acre forest in North Central Baltimore with native plants and invasive species removal.
The National Aquarium will use approximately $123,000 in grant funding to host a community in planting nearly 34,000 native plants to populate Harbor Wetland, an 8,000-square-foot floating wetland habitat in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Additionally, over 1,900 students will engage in educational programming at the wetland restoration site over the 2-year grant period.
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Complementing additional matching funds, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Prince of Peace will use $66,000 in MPA-supported funds and another $48,000 from CBT to reduce runoff from a very large steeply sloped surfaced area and install environmentally friendly resources such as cisterns, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, trees, and bioswales.
Photo: Impacts in the critical area 100ft. buffer and 1000ft. boundary need to be coordinated through the Critical Area Commission and could require mitigation like the Masonville DMCF +30 dike raising project.
Photo from The Green Book for the Buffer
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Port of Baltimore’s Diesel Equipment Upgrade Program Passes 300th Truck Replacement Milestone
Since 2008, MPA has been awarded more than $20 million from state and federal grants to replace older diesel-powered equipment used at the Port with more energy-efficient models.
The Port’s Dray Truck Replacement Program, referred to locally as “Dollars for Drays,” began in 2019 and has historically been funded by programs like the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA). Recently, the program passed the 300-truck milestone, with 302 dray trucks replaced to date.
RHB Trucking owns the 300th truck—a more efficient 2019 Peterbilt that replaced a 1999 Freightliner with a million miles. “Dollars for Drays really works,” said Ronald Bricker, president of RHB Trucking, which has participated in the program five times. “A total win for all parties!”
 Photo: Ronald Bricker shares RHB Trucking’s newly acquired Peterbilt. Grant funding provides up to 50% of the cost to purchase a newer truck, with a maximum award of $30,000 per truck. Additional funding will soon be made available under Maryland’s VW Mitigation Plan, which is expected to replace an additional 38 dray trucks.
Photo by RHB Trucking
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Building the Future Together with Communities
The Port of Baltimore values, supports, and regularly works with its community partners, such as Filbert Street Garden and Turner Station Conservation Teams, to benefit Marylanders in various ways.
Another partner is the City of Refuge in South Baltimore, led by Founder and Executive Director Billy Humphrey. Located in Curtis Bay, this organization addresses food insecurity and homelessness, unemployment, youth vulnerability, and other crises faced by local residents.
During boots on the ground outreach for the Masonville Dredge Material Containment Facility and Masonville Cove, City of Refuge was one of the first organizations to engage with MPA, opening its doors to host MPA lead community meetings. “I remember them [MPA] talking about the Masonville Cove project. And I thought to myself, ‘Here we go again. South Baltimore is getting dumped on again.’ What was first an impression that it was just going to be dumped on again has turned into this wonderful asset, not just to our community, but to our state, to our city... And it's taken some time. But this process that you've put in place is working," said Humphrey, the keynote speaker at the 2023 Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP) Annual Meeting.
Humphrey has been a leader in bringing hope to his community and connecting them to the Cove for more than 15 years. His wife Sarah was also pivotal in designing the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center and served as one of the first front desk staff members in the new building.
MPA is grateful to partners like Humphrey and the City of Refuge for their input, counsel, and support as it continues its environmental justice work in underserved communities.
 Photo: City of Refuge Founder and Executive Director Billy Humphrey delivers the keynote speech at the 2023 DMMP Annual Meeting as part of the Port community and representing partnership opportunities.
Photo by RK&K
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Technical Advisors Support MPA 20-Year Plan for Dredged Material Management
More than 30 attendees joined a kick-off meeting to relaunch the Maryland Bay Enhancement Working Group (BEWG) on January 4, 2024. BEWG, composed of scientific, regulatory, and environmental interest groups, is a long-standing part of the DMMP. Members serve as technical advisors for MPA’s 20-year plan for the development and implementation of dredging and dredged material management.
In 2011, the BEWG recommended Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) as an option for dredged material management, and a pilot project was completed in 2016. In 2024, BEWG will be focusing on the progress of the recommendations to date with an emphasis on the CAD program as a second pilot program is considered.
 Photo: The Maryland BEWG member organization was convened after a long hiatus to review progress on BEWG recommendations dating back to 2001 on Maryland dredged material management, bringing expertise from both new and seasoned members dedicated to the Maryland DMMP.
Photo by MPA
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New Resources Available! Innovative Solutions for Dredged Material Management
Maintenance of dredged material for federal navigation channels must be managed by the State of Maryland, and management needs have evolved over time. For decades, the characteristics of the maintenance sediment, monitored rigorously as part of the program, no longer fit the legal definition of “spoils” and have been embraced by the industry as a resource rather than waste. The Dredged Material Management Act of 2001 officially changed the terminology in Maryland law, replacing the word “spoils” with “material,” and outlined its major potential to be used innovatively and beneficially rather than treated as a waste product. Ever since, MPA has hosted a robust program to develop innovative ways to manage this resource, with innovative reuse identified as the top priority in the act for the mandated 20-year plan for maintenance dredged material management.
Innovative Solutions, a new section of the DMMP website, contains user-friendly and engaging information and factsheets about the exciting and innovative approaches in development and explains how people can get involved and stay in the know.
Learn more about studies, pilot programs, and habitat restoration projects incorporating dredged material in Innovative Reuse, Beneficial Use, and Confined Aquatic Disposal by visiting https://maryland-dmmp.com/innovative-solutions/
Start here to learn more about how you can participate on the DMMP committee, stay in the know, and get involved.
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Mid-Bay Update
Stakeholder engagement continues for the Mid-Bay Island Project, a beneficial use project to use dredged material to restore two eroding Chesapeake Bay islands located in Dorchester County.
Like Poplar Island, Mid-Bay is a “win-win.” This 2,100-acre environmental restoration project on James and Barren Islands will also provide capacity for over 40 years of projected dredged material management needs, approximately 90 to 95 million cubic yards of dredged material. Placement of the dredged material from the Chesapeake Bay channels will commence around the year 2030, taking over for Poplar Island.
In an effort to inform and educate the public, MPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have hosted community meetings, listening sessions, project public hearings, poster sessions, and tours of DMMP sites. The local community was actively engaged, and targeted meetings with local watermen provided a forum for productive discussion about minimizing the impact on their ability to make a living.
Sign up here if you’d like to receive updates on the Mid-Bay Islands Project, including upcoming events and newsletters.
 Photo: Construction at Barren Island began in 2023. Project partners are making a particular effort to keep watermen informed to ensure they know important construction and safety updates.
Photo by Engineering Subcontractor Gahagan and Bryant Associates
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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 to access information for each meeting. For questions, please contact ecoport@marylandports.com.
Innovative Reuse Committee - February 27th at 5:30 PM
Hybrid Event – For more information, visit https://maryland-dmmp.com/committees/.
Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility Operations Building
1000 Kembo Road, Baltimore, MD 21226
Masonville Citizens Advisory Committee - March 5th at 5:30 PM
Hybrid - for more information, visit https://maryland-dmmp.com/committees/.
HMI Citizens Oversight Committee - March 19th at 6:30 PM
For more information, visit https://maryland-dmmp.com/committees/.
First Floor Conference Room
2200 Broening Hwy, Baltimore, MD 21224
Management Committee - March 20th at 10:00 AM
Hybrid Event - For more information, visit https://maryland-dmmp.com/committees/.
World Trade Center - Stanton Room
401 E. Pratt Street, 20th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202
Cox Creek Citizens Oversight Committee - April 10th at 5:30 PM
For more information, visit https://maryland-dmmp.com/committees/.
Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility Operations Building
1000 Kembo Road, Baltimore, MD 21226
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ECO Port Newsletter is the 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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Jonathan Daniels, Executive Director
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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