New Audubon Report Warns of Maryland’s Salt Marsh Crisis, Charts a Path Forward

BALTIMORE—A new report from the National Audubon Society presents the first landscape-scale restoration plan for Maryland’s remaining 172,000 acres of salt marsh—habitat vital to imperiled birds, coastal communities, and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 

The report warns that Maryland’s iconic salt marshes are rapidly disappearing due to rising seas, coastal flooding, and land subsidence, but also outlines a science-based, collaborative roadmap to protect and restore them. 

Working closely with partners and community members, Audubon scientists used innovative spatial modeling to identify the highest priority marsh for conservation and restoration. The result is an in-depth blueprint for what it will take to halt and reverse Maryland’s salt marsh crisis. 

Maryland’s tidal salt marshes provide critical habitat for birds and other wildlife, from blue crabs to Great Blue Herons. These same landscapes also serve as nurseries for commercially important fish and shellfish, buffer communities from storm surge, filter pollution from waterways, and support outdoor recreation economies across the Eastern Shore.  

Yet these benefits are at risk. Rising sea levels and land subsidence are accelerating tidal flooding, erosion, and marsh collapse, with computer models projecting that much of Maryland’s remaining marsh could be largely lost by in the coming decades. 

“Saving Maryland’s marshes is about conservation and protecting imperiled birds, but it’s also about protecting communities, economies, and a way of life,” said Dave Curson, Coastal Program Director at Audubon Mid-Atlantic, a regional office of the National Audubon Society. “This plan shows that, if we act with urgency, work together, and invest in these marshes, there is still time to secure a future for these irreplaceable landscapes. We are grateful to the many partners who are a part of this effort."

The report is a key component of the Audubon-led Marshes for Tomorrow initiative, a landscape-scale restoration effort developed in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network, among others.  

Using innovative spatial modeling, Audubon and its partners identified 29,000 acres of priority marsh areas with the greatest potential for long-term resilience, spanning four focal areas in Dorchester, Somerset, and Worcester Counties. 

The report focuses on the vulnerable “high marsh” zone, which is located above the reach of daily tides and provides critical nesting habitat for marsh-dependent birds like the Saltmarsh Sparrow, which scientists warn could face extinction within 30 years due to increased flooding on its breeding grounds. This species nests only in salt marsh, and a quarter of its global population breeds in Maryland, making the state an integral part of its long-term survival. 

The plan calls for a combination of restoration strategies over the next decade, including lower-cost hydrological improvements, such as runnelling (digging shallow channels to drain trapped water) and ditch remediation, alongside targeted sediment placement projects to rebuild marsh elevation where needed. Runnelling is a particularly promising strategy because it can be implemented quickly and affordably. 

The recommended work involves hundreds of restoration projects and requires millions of dollars in investments. However, the report emphasizes that acting now with cost-effective techniques can alleviate the need for more expensive interventions later. 

A cornerstone of the initiative is collaboration. More than 100 stakeholders helped shape the plan, including government agencies, scientists, local leaders, and community members.  

 About Audubon 

The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety 

Media conctact: Ben Graham, ben.graham@audubon.org