top of page

DIPP Newsletter  February 2017, Volume 16

 

Dear Project Stakeholders and Participants, 

 

Thanks to all who joined us for the Collaborative Field Assessments earlier this month! We had four very successful field trips around the focus areas, which you can read about below. If you're interested in getting involved with the assessments, or need additional assessment forms, please get in touch with Jo Johnson at dealislandpeninsulaproject@gmail.com or 240-351-3478. We are also collecting completed assessment forms through early March. Let us know when you have forms ready to turn in, and we'll make arrangements to pick them up from you. Be sure to check out the other updates below, which include information about the Deal Island living shoreline project and a just-published article on DIPP in Delmarva Now! As always, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. 

 

Sincerely, 

The DIPP Team

Update on Collaborative Field Assessments

On January 28 and February 4, DIPP Focus Area Teams met for four field trips to collect information on flooding and erosion vulnerabilities along roadways and on properties, and socio-demographic information. Some of the information collected included frequency of flood events on properties and roadways, rate of erosion, location of ditch flooding, and presence of house features that affect residential flood vulnerability (e.g., elevated HVAC unit, flood vents), etc.

 

See below for a list of the places we visited during the field trips. In addition to these locations, we are also interested in collecting information about other sites in the focus areas. If you know of a property, ditch, roadway or other location that is at risk, please contact us (dealislandpeninsulaproject@gmail.com) so that we can work with you to complete a risk assessment worksheet to document the problems. This information will be used to build the case for seeking additional support to address key problem areas through projects like the proposed living shoreline project for the Deal Island beach area near Crowell Rd. (see below). 

January 28:

Dames Quarter:

  • Messick Rd.

  • Long Point Rd.

  • Riley Roberts Rd.

  • Hodson White Rd.

  • Hideaway Lane

 

Oriole:

  • Oriole Back Rd.

  • Oriole Rd.

  • Crab Island Rd.

  • Champ Wharf

  • Annie Hyland Rd.

February 4

Deal Island Shoreline:

  • Crowell Rd.

  • Ford Rd.

  • Osborne Webster Rd.

  • Ballard Rd. and Melvin White Rd.

  • Parkinson Rd.

 

The Harbors:

  • Hotel Rd.

  • Deal Island Harbor

  • Wenona Harbor

  • Deal Island Rd. between Wenona Harbor and condos

Based on the information we collected from the worksheets,  we will develop our next meeting in April for focus area teams to meet again, review what we’ve learned, and work together to create a list of that the community would like to pursue. More details will be available in our March newsletter!

Update on Deal Island Living Shoreline Project

 

In Fall 2016, MD DNR applied for a grant through NOAA for the Deal Island shoreline resiliency project. Unfortunately, the proposal was not funded in this round.

 

So what's next? The Deal Island Peninsula Project Team is still committed to finding funding for this project and have recently found out we may be eligible for a new grant program through the state that is focused on coastal resiliency.  We will know more about that this spring. We will also be re-applying for the NOAA Coastal Resilience Grant that is due in March 2017. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

Meet a Project Stakeholder: Alane Ortega
​

For 30 years Alane Ortega has lived on Monie Bay. As a small business owner, located on her property, she has watched first-hand the changes to the land. Between sea-level rises, the land sinking and natural erosion at least a quarter of the marsh fronting her property has disappeared. This is a major concern of hers.

 

Alane has developed deep ties to the area over the years. Her move to Dames Quarter was a conscience decision, drawn to area by its unique environment and rural lifestyle. While this was the first draw it’s the friends and neighbors that keeps her rooted here.

 

It is the future that concerns her. The changes to the land are only going to worsen as climate change takes its toll. Through natural plantings and thoughtful actions her property's marsh erosion is manageable. Out of her control is property access on the county's roads where flooding one or two times a year 30 years ago has turned into an almost monthly occurrence. It almost seems like the tide tables need to be checked every time a trip to town is planned. This is what got her involved in the Deal Island Peninsula Project.

Photos by Alane: Long Point Rd. near Deal Island Rd. during normal conditions (left, taken in February 2017) and after a rain event (right, taken in January 2017). Flooding frequently occurs along this road during full moon tide events and storm events, making parts of it impassable. 

In the News

 

On Deal Island, Changes in Climate, then Attitudes

(Jeremy Cox, Delmarva Now, 2/7/17)

 

The Deal Island Peninsula Project is in the news! Read about the Project's ongoing efforts with highlights from DIPP stakeholders Roy Ford and Linda Collier, and Project Director, Jo Johnson. You can also watch a short interview about the Project with one of the Project's leads, Michael Paolisso.

 

In the Chesapeake Bay's Changing Ecosystem, Blue Crab Is King

(Sarah Fearing, Williamsburg Yorktown Daily, 1/26/17) 

 

Read about how climate change impacts in the Chesapeake Bay are anticipated to affect blue crab populations in our region.

bottom of page