

photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
photo credit: Maryland Coastal Bays Program
A Landscape-Scale Restoration and Resiliency Plan for Maryland’s Salt Marshes

About Marshes for Tomorrow
Marshes for Tomorrow aims to address the rapid population declines in salt marsh bird species by creating an implementation plan for salt marsh restoration on a landscape scale in Maryland. Funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, speared headed by Audubon Mid-Atlantic, and brought to life by countless conservation partners across Maryland's Eastern Shore, Marshes for Tomorrow has 3 main objectives:

Identify 25,000 acres of salt marsh habitat to be maintained long-term to conserve the Saltmarsh Sparrow in Maryland.
photo credit: Sophia Seufert
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2
Determine a schedule of restoration actions across the Eastern Shore for the priority marshes identified.
photo credit: Dagny Leonard

3
Create conceptual conservation strategies at the local/county level, which have the broad approval of local communities.
photo credit: Kelly McGinley
Email marshes4tomorrow@gmail.com or call (410) 558-2473, ext 108
to get in touch with a member of the Marshes for Tomorrow team.
Get Involved
Stay tuned for a webinar in Spring 2025
to learn about our latest progress!
All community members welcome.
Past Meetings
Deal Island Community Planting
(October 2024)
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Round 2 Community Engagement Meetings: Princess Anne, Berlin, & Church Creek
(Fall 2024)​​​
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Round 1 Community Engagement Meetings:
Deal Island, Berlin, Pocomoke City & Church Creek
(Winter 2024)
Private Landowner?

photo credit: Bri Panos
Landowner Resources
Coming soon!

Want to learn more? Explore the sections below!
Salt Marsh 101
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that occur world wide. They are regularly flooded by salt water during the tidal cycle and are commonly found in estuarine environments (NOAA, 2023)
Salt marshes are an iconic ecosystem on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and can be seen at popular travel destinations such as Assateague National Seashore/State Park and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge:

Assateague Marsh, photo credit: Claire Almand

Blackwater NWR, photo credit: Ray Paterra
Due to their unqiue ecology, salt marshes are home to a diverse array of species which have adapted to the unique tidal conditions. One such species, is the saltmarsh sparrow.
The Saltmarsh Sparrow
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photo credit: Frank Lehman
Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta) is a bird species that is specially adapted to the harsh conditions of the salt marsh environment. This species only breeds in the North East United States. Maryland’s breeding Saltmarsh Sparrow population is estimated to be 25.2% of
the regional population as of 2011/2012 (Wiest et al. 2019), the largest of any state (Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, 2020).
The Saltmarsh Sparrow has had a 87% population decline since 1998 due to low breeding productivity. Continue scrolling to learn more about the threats to salt marshes and how this affects the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, 2020).
Threats to Our Salt Marshes

Our marshes
are drowning...
75% of high
marsh in Maryland will likely be lost
by 2100.
photo credit: Eric Liner, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Restoration Opportunity
There are a variety of restoration techniques that have been used to help restore salt marshes in different locations along the Atlantic Coast. Which technique is most appropriate for a given situation, depends on a variety of factors including: the elevation of the site, the budget of the project, and access to external sediment.
Runnels
Use When: Marsh is degrading due towater trapped on the marsh surface.
What: Shallow channels dug in themarsh to restore tidal flow and draintrapped water. Can be used to remediate the impacts of historic ditching.

photo credit: Dave Curson, Audubon
Use When: Raising the marsh surface is needed for its longterm survival.
What: Placement of dredged sediment onto the marsh surface to raise its elevation above the reach of daily tides.
Sediment Placement

photo credit: Middleton Evans

Marshes for Tomorrow is being led by Audubon Mid-Atlantic and has been made possible through the support of a broad array of partners. Marshes for Tomorrow was established as a project of the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network.
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Marshes for Tomorrow has been made possible through generous support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Reslience Fund.
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