The Upper Chesapeake watershed spans both the western shore of the upper Chesapeake Bay and the eastern shore of Maryland and Delaware. Ninety-five percent of this area is rural in either agriculture or forested lands. The coastal salt marsh areas contain some of the largest remaining SAV beds in Chesapeake Bay. One of the most pronounced and reversible causes of salt marsh habitat loss and degradation was the draining of wetlands through parallel grid-ditching systems. Between 1930 and 1940, 90% of the coastal marshes from Maine to Virginia were ditched or drained for mosquito control. The lack of stable water levels decimated tracts of submerged aquatic vegetation, altered the aquatic invertebrate communities, lowered groundwater tables, and ultimately destroyed marsh habitat essential to various wetland-dependent birds.

Conservation Work

Restoration plans in this priority area are to restore grid-ditched high marsh habitat. Ditches can be filled to restore the natural tidal influence and hence the high marsh will be inundated during spring and storm tides. This will encourage reestablishment of endemic plant communities and shallow salt marsh pools and pannes. Protection of key tracts of land will benefit wildlife habitat and water quality throughout the watershed. Conservation efforts in the Upper Chesapeake priority area will primarily be focused on wintering and spring migration habitat, and secondarily on breeding habitat needs. The majority of conservation activities will be focused on the eastern shore (90%). On the western shore, north of the Patuxent River, conservation work will target wetlands and grass restoration in a 1:1 ratio. On the eastern shore, a strong private lands program is in place and should remain the focus of delivery. Currently activities are focused on heavily managed moist soil and upland cover restoration.

Waterfowl Benefits

This area is the primary wintering ground for AP Canada geese, and a major area for American black ducks, mallards, northern pintails, American wigeon, gadwalls, green-winged teal, snow geese, and Atlantic brant. The Delmarva Peninsula also supports the last remaining population of wintering redheads on the Bay. In addition to providing important wintering habitat, the area also supports breeding populations of mallards, wood ducks, American black ducks, gadwall, and blue-winged teal.