New initiative will invest grant funding toward wetland restoration, living shorelines, other nature-based projects through collaboration with local and regional partners
From left to right: Suzanne Biemiller, Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon Mid-Atlantic; Matt Heim, Director of Lower Shore Land Trust; Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain; Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz; and Dr. Mike Sieracki, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Photo by Anthony Burrows, Maryland DNR
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has launched a new initiative called Roots for Resilience: Strong Roots for a Changing Landscape to help Maryland’s Eastern Shore adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.
Through this initiative, which is supported by $42.5 million in federal grant funding, DNR will invest in nature-based climate solutions including tree planting, sustainable forest management, coastal wetland restoration, and living shoreline projects.
The initiative was officially launched Wednesday at an event with DNR staff and partners at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Campus, overlooking the Choptank River in the Eastern Shore’s Dorchester County.
“Roots for Resilience will be a major initiative for the environment and people of Maryland,” DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said. “This work will focus on the Eastern Shore, where vulnerable rural areas are already managing the effects of rising sea levels and more intense storms. The new investments will make ecosystems and communities more resilient by protecting people, homes, and infrastructure while also improving wildlife habitat.”
The key goals of Roots for Resilience include protecting and restoring high-carbon forest and coastal habitats to maximize climate and community benefits; advancing sustainable forest management to increase carbon capture and preserve biodiversity; and building community resilience through outreach, education, and local partnerships.
Adaptation efforts through the initiative will help facilitate change and build resilience to strong storms, flooding, and high temperatures in areas expected to face increasing impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Models project that sea level rise could lead to the loss of a third of the Eastern Shore’s high marsh by 2050. The region has already seen saltwater intrusion onto previously productive agricultural land.
These efforts are funded through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, awarded to the Atlantic Conservation Coalition, made up of agencies in four coastal states, including the Maryland Department of the Environment.
“Maryland’s climate plan recognizes that nature is one of our strongest allies. These investments under Maryland’s Atlantic Conservation Coalition Climate Pollution Reduction Grant will help us restore our coastlines, reduce climate risks like flooding and erosion, and deliver real benefits to the communities that live there.” said Maryland Secretary of Environment Serena McIlwain. “Nature-based solutions help us cut pollution, protect people, and strengthen resilience all at once—and that’s exactly the kind of integrated climate action Maryland is committed to delivering.”
A low marsh in Dorchester County. DNR photo
As part of the work for this initiative, DNR will oversee construction of living shorelines to protect marshes, fund wetland restoration activities, reconnect tidal systems, plant trees, and expand the state nursery in Preston to market locally sourced trees. The initiative will also implement these types of restoration strategies on existing conservation easements to protect critical habitats and aid communities.
Overall the initiative’s aims include:
- Restoring tidal connectivity of 400 acres of marshes.
- Restoring 200 acres of tidal wetlands.
- Installing living shorelines to protect 400 acres of tidal marshes.
- Restoring 500 acres of forest habitat and improving forestry management on 1,000 acres.
“Roots for Resilience initiatives will protect communities by improving buffers against storms to reduce flood impacts and by enhancing local air and water quality,” said Jackie Specht, DNR’s Resilient Systems Officer. “This initiative builds on strong partnerships and local efforts to foster ecological and social resilience in a rapidly changing environment.”
By investing in trees, marshes, and people, Roots for Resilience supports ongoing efforts to create a healthier, more resilient Eastern Shore. DNR is collaborating with nonprofit partners including Audubon Mid-Atlantic and its Marshes for Tomorrow initiative, Lower Shore Land Trust, and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy to fulfill the initiative’s commitments.
“We’re grateful for this investment and for Maryland DNR’s partnership in supporting Marshes for Tomorrow, a collaborative, science-driven effort to confront salt marsh loss in Maryland,” said Suzanne Biemiller, Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon Mid-Atlantic. “This support will help deliver large-scale marsh restoration that benefits birds, fisheries, and coastal communities, and shows what’s possible when Maryland comes together to protect these irreplaceable landscapes.”
“Conservation has always been about thinking beyond our own time,” said Matt Heim, executive director of the Lower Shore Land Trust. “This initiative allows us to work with landowners to protect and restore their land in ways that honor its history while ensuring it remains productive and resilient for the next generation and those that follow.”
The initiative will support new staff positions at DNR and will support the work of multiple partner groups to carry out environmental projects, supporting jobs that will build resilience in vulnerable areas.
“The Chesapeake Bay region is one of the most impacted areas due to climate change’s acceleration of sea level rise,” said Mike Sieracki, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab. “Using the best available science and long-term monitoring will help guide restoration efforts well into the future.”
DNR is currently seeking applications for nonprofits that will engage with county governments and conduct outreach to communities, as well as finding and paying contractors to help reach the forest management goal for Roots for Resilience. The department is currently reviewing applications for living shoreline projects and expects to announce awards this summer. The total funding available through this program for living shoreline restoration projects is approximately $17 million.
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.
