BERLIN, Md. — The Newport Bay Partnership has been awarded $2 million through Maryland’s Whole Watershed Fund to support restoration projects aimed at improving the health of the Newport Bay watershed over the next five years.
The funding, announced by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, is part of a statewide initiative supporting five watershed projects that take a comprehensive approach to improving water quality, enhancing habitat and engaging local communities.
“Our priority is to ensure restoration efforts reflect the needs of the local community,” Project Coordinator Jessica McIntosh said. “We are committed to creating meaningful opportunities for community members to participate in this work.”
Among the projects planned during the second year of the initiative is the restoration of 114 acres of degraded salt marsh habitat at Croppers Marsh in Newport Bay. The project includes recreating natural channels, planting marsh grass, creating shallow-water habitat and stabilizing the shoreline to reduce erosion, improve water quality and increase carbon storage.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program will carry out the Croppers Marsh restoration.
Another major effort focuses on Bottle Branch in Berlin, where Assateague Coastal Trust is working with homeowners along the stream to address flooding and erosion while improving shallow-water habitat for wildlife. The project also includes outdoor educational opportunities for students at nearby Buckingham Elementary School.
In addition, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is working with Maryland’s Program Open Space to identify and acquire land in the Bottle Branch watershed that could be preserved from future development and used for stormwater storage and treatment.
The state also provided an additional $250,000 for watershed monitoring projects during fiscal year 2027.
“Science will be at the forefront of our efforts,” McIntosh said. “To that end, we have secured funding to monitor changes to the watershed as projects are completed.”
She said the monitoring data will be incorporated into Maryland’s Water Quality Annual Report Card. The partnership also plans to work with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to establish new monitoring of social and economic factors connected to the watershed.
The Newport Bay Partnership includes the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Assateague Coastal Trust, Lower Shore Land Trust, the Town of Berlin and Worcester County Government.
