Dear Deal Island Peninsula Partners,

Happy Fall! I hope this note finds you well in the midst of the pandemic. Below are some highlights of ongoing activities from September. While Covid-19 has made it more challenging to have an active presence on Deal Island, rest assured that we are continuing to stay busy behind the scenes on several fronts and are looking for opportunities to engage our partners in more virtual spaces. We’re excited to share that the Deal Island Shoreline Project is now moving into the construction phase, with the County sending out a solicitation for contractor bids shortly. We also have two opportunities for DIPP partners to get more involved in some ongoing projects: 

1. We’re looking for individuals to interview by phone/Zoom for input on the upcoming Thin-Layer Placement project that will be carried out near the Impoundment. This input will help us integrate local considerations into marsh-enhancement projects on the Peninsula.
2. We’re also looking for participants to help us test a new phone app that DNR is launching to photo document flood events and impacts. 

If you’re interested in getting involved or want to learn more about either of these opportunities, please get in touch (vandolah@terpmail.umd.edu). In addition, below are some updates from DIPP’s County and local partners, as well as a link to a thought-provoking webinar that relates to past DIPP conversations on the role of faith and science in addressing climate change impacts on the Peninsula. Thanks, as always, for your coninued interest in DIPP. 

Sincerely,
Liz Van Dolah

DIPP Coordinator

Ongoing Project Updates

DNR staff also wrapped up the last of the pre-construction monitoring in late September. DNR has taken advantage of the delay in construction to collect more pre-construction data than they normally would collect for this type of project. These efforts will enable them to capture the additional erosion and other shoreline changes that have taken place within the last year while permits approvals were still being secured. 

Somerset County Receives Funding to

Develop a Flood Mitigation Plan

DIPP will be exploring opportunities for our partnership to engage in these discussions. Stay tuned for more information. Interested in getting directly involved? Become a Somerset Flood Mitigation Plan stakeholder through the Flood Mitigation Plan website’s 'How to Get Involved'  tab.  

Thin-Layer Placement: Repurposing Dredged Sediments For Coastal Resilience

The US Fish and Wildlife Service just released an article that highlights a number of beneficial dredge re-use projects being carried out in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond. Learn more about how dredge material is being repurposed to help flood-prone marshes, and the benefits that these projects have for native bird populations, such as the saltmarsh sparrow and the black rail, whose nesting areas are increasingly being inundated. This story includes a feature on the upcoming Thin-Layer Placement Project that will be carried out in the Dames Quarter Impoundment area in 2021. 

Update on the Deal Island Thin Layer Placement Project: 

Get Involved!  We are still recruiting individuals – particularly those who live and work in the Deal Island area -- to share their thoughts about the thin-layer placement project! If you would like to participate in a phone/Zoom interview, please get in touch with Liz (vandolah@terpmail.umd.edu).  

 Help DIPP Pilot MyCoast Maryland, a New Flood Documentation Tool for Flood-Prone Communities 

 DNR is excited to announce that Marylanders will soon have access to MyCoast Maryland, a new web-based platform and mobile app to help document flood impacts across the state of Maryland. MyCoast collects crowd-sourced data through photos to better understand flooding trends and identify flooding hotspots. DNR hopes that this tool will help inform local flood mitigation efforts and enable communities to have a usable platform to document and bring attention to local flood concerns.    

DNR will be piloting the MyCoast tool in a few select locations, including on the Deal Island Peninsula. DIPP will be organizing the Deal Island Peninsula pilot launch in November. We are currently recruiting individuals to help us to test its usefulness, functionality, and provide feedback to improve the platform for future uses. 

DIPP is excited about the potential for MyCoast to provide the Partnership with a formal mechanism to continue building the case for needed resources and support to address local flooding issues. Help us make MyCoast Maryland an effective tool for the Deal Island communities and beyond!   

Interested in Participating? Please contact Liz Van Dolah (vandolah@terpmail.umd.edu).

Continuing the Conversation on Engaging Faith Communities for Coastal Resilience 

understand the role of faith and the church and the role of science in climate change work, with the goal of finding more collaborative opportunities to work together to support Deal Island’s adaptation needs. These conversations revealed that there is more common ground on which to work together than perhaps some initially assumed.    

As follow-up to these conversations, we would like to share a recent webinar (below) hosted by Interfaith Power and Light that featured Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and Evangelical Christian. She provides some thoughtful insights on how she brings her faith and scientific training together in her work as a climate scientist, and the value of building bridges between communities of faith and science for more meaningful and effective climate change work.  

(If you are interested in reading our linked article above about the DIPP project findings, but are unable to download it, please contact Liz to request a copy.)  

Deal Island Celebrated the 61st Skipjack Race

on Labor Day 

Deal Islanders hosted the 61st Annual Skipjack Races on September 7th. While Covid-19 halted this year’s Labor Day Festival, 12 skipacks from across the Chesapeake Bay region still came down to Deal Island Harbor to participate in Deal Island’s famous racing tradition. The Ida May took first for the 4th year in a row. This year, the Skipjack Heritage Museum also celebrated its grand reopening (photos below). Be sure to watch the WMDT news feature for a highlight of the festivities!