Marsh Adaptation and Partnership Building

Description

This 2022 project was designed to accelerate progress toward the Climate Adaptation Outcome in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement by identifying collaborative large-scale tidal marsh adaptation projects that maximize marsh benefits under changing climate conditions. It prioritized marsh adaptation projects that support coastal resilience, fish and wildlife habitat, and vulnerable communities in Virginia's Middle Peninsula and Maryland's Wicomico River regions, and synthesized existing information on marsh migration, condition and health, social vulnerability and living resource considerations to build a mapping tool to help regional partners identify and target large-scale marsh adaptation projects.

The Chesapeake Bay Program's Climate Resiliency Workgroup and Envision the Choptank partners have begun work with master's students from The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) to continue marsh adaptation work. Students are developing a scope of work to assist Envision in developing a coastal wetland resilience plan for the Choptank River, and to perform relevant GIS analysis to assess marsh adaptation options. Information and resources will be posted as they become available.