Sean,
I imagine there are already plans underway to rehab the island. I saw
three people on it the other day checking it out. Although the island took
a beating, there have been extensive flats recently. It seems a lot of the
sand that was added last year just got moved around. There is diminished
nesting habitat and greatly reduced vegetation. The 5 to 10 foot waves I
saw on the bay during Sandy were pretty incredible. The link below is a
DNR website with some information on the maintenance of the island.
http://<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
dnr.state.md.us<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
/wildlife/<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
Publiclands<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
/<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
Natural_Areas<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
/<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
SkimmerIsland.asp<http://dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Publiclands/Natural_Areas/SkimmerIsland.asp>
Quoted from this website:
"In 2009, a joint effort to conserve Skimmer Island was started by the
Ocean City Fishing Center, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. These organizations are working
in a public-private partnership to use clean sand dredged from the Fishing
Center's approach channel to nourish and restore the island. Each March,
sand is pumped onto Skimmer Island to improve nesting habitat conditions
for skimmers and terns. This "design with nature" management approach
places sand on Skimmer Island to balance what is lost to erosive tidal
currents. As sea levels rise, managers will continue to nourish the island
with clean, dredged sand to maintain critical habitats. Skimmers, terns,
horseshoe crabs and a myriad of other species will take advantage of the
habitats that Skimmer Island and the tidal sand flats provide."
Good birding,
Mike Burchett
Ocean Pines, MD
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