Flag Ponds Nature Park - Shoreline Remediation Microdocumentary - Calvert County, MD

The Board of County Commissioners entered into a project agreement with the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) for a no-interest loan to design and construct a living shoreline at Flag Ponds Nature Park. The design is complete, and all permits have been received, with the bid documents for construction pending. This project only covers the first 500 feet of problematic shoreline. Future phases of shoreline protection would extend approximately 6,000 feet south of the proposed project, ultimately protecting the entire shoreline of Flag Ponds Nature Park. Shoreline erosion threatens the two freshwater ponds separated from the Chesapeake Bay by a narrow beach dune system. A breach and intrusion of brackish water would essentially destroy the freshwater aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Duncan’s Pond (approx. 9 acres) is the southern, most vulnerable pond; Richardson’s Pond (approx. 28 acres) has a well-traveled boardwalk where visitors observe the unique freshwater pond ecology, while environmental education programs provide meaningful watershed experiences and field studies.