New Funding Will Help Turn the Tide on Salt Marsh Loss in Maryland

BALTIMORE – The National Audubon Society has received a $13 million grant that will support large-scale marsh restoration projects across Maryland, addressing the rapid loss of salt marsh habitat throughout the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. 

The funding will support the restoration of 600 acres of tidal marsh and wetlands and represents a major step forward in Marshes for Tomorrow, an Audubon-led collaborative initiative that confronts Maryland’s salt marsh crisis through science-based, nature-driven solutions. 

"Salt marshes are in crisis along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, and in Maryland, much of this vital habitat is at immediate risk of being lost," said Dr. Elizabeth Gray, Chief Executive Officer of the National Audubon Society. "This investment allows Audubon and our partners to accelerate large-scale restoration at the scale this moment demands, putting proven solutions on the ground that restore marshes, support birds and other wildlife, sustain fisheries, and help protect coastal communities from flooding and storm surge. We are deeply grateful to the partners and funders who are making this urgent work possible." 

The source of the funding is a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, awarded to the Atlantic Conservation Coalition made up of four coastal states including Maryland and the Nature Conservancy. With this EPA funding, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently launched its Roots for Resilience initiative, which subawarded the funding to support Audubon’s existing Marshes for Tomorrow initiative. 

As part of the Marshes for Tomorrow initiative, Audubon led a group of partners through a planning process of workshops, focus groups, and public meetings beginning in 2023. Audubon scientists and partners identified priority marsh sites across Maryland that are most vulnerable to sea-level rise, erosion, and subsidence, as well as locations where restoration efforts can deliver the greatest ecological and community benefits.  

The grant will fund a suite of restoration approaches, which may include a technique called “runnelling” that involves excavating narrow, sinuous channels to allow trapped water to escape from the marsh surface into adjacent tidal creeks. Projects will also include restoring tidal connectivity by enlarging or unblocking culverts.  

“Salt marshes are the foundation of Maryland’s coastal ecosystem, sustaining birds while protecting people and their livelihoods through cleaner water and reduced flooding.” said David Curson, Audubon Mid-Atlantic's Coastal Director. “Marshes for Tomorrow is a bold, science-driven effort to confront their rapid loss, and this investment gives us a transformational opportunity to put plans into action.” 

Maryland’s tidal salt marshes are an iconic and irreplaceable natural resource. They support the state’s blue crab populations, sustain an abundance of fish, shellfish, and invertebrates, and provide critical habitat for migratory and resident birds. This group includes salt marsh-dependent species like the American Black Duck, Black Rail, and Saltmarsh Sparrow, which scientists predict could go extinct this century without marsh conservation action. 

Marshes also act as natural buffers, reducing flooding, filtering pollution, and protecting nearby communities and farmland from storm surge. 

Initial funding for the Marshes for Tomorrow initiative was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and later expanded through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to include the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. This latest investment significantly scales up restoration efforts.  

For more information about Marshes for Tomorrow and Audubon’s coastal restoration work in Maryland, visit our website.  

For more information about the larger effort for resilience projects on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, visit the Roots for Resilience website.  

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

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. 

Disclaimer: This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 3D25824 to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the Environmental Protection Agency endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document, as well as any images, video, text, or other content created by generative artificial intelligence tools, nor does any such content necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency.