By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
(July 23, 2026) The Newport Bay Partnership is about to enter its second year of work to restore the bay’s watershed and has two projects on this year’s agenda.
With $2 million awarded the joint effort from Maryland’s Whole Watershed Fund, the Newport Bay endeavor is one of five projects throughout the state being funded for five years by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), to take a holistic approach to improving water quality, enhancing habitat and engaging communities throughout the state.
The Newport Bay Partnership, which was formed by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Assateague Coastal Trust, Lower Shore Land Trust, the Town of Berlin, and Worcester County Government, is using the funding to address environmental issues through a variety of restoration and conservation projects.
“Our priority is to ensure restoration efforts reflect the needs of the local community,” Project Coordinator Jessica McIntosh said in a statement. “We are committed to creating meaningful opportunities for community members to participate in this work.”
Among the work scheduled this year is the restoration of 114 acres of degraded salt marsh habitat at Croppers Marsh in Newport Bay. The project will recreate natural tidal channels, establish marsh grasses, create shallow-water habitat, and stabilize the shoreline. The project is expected to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and increase carbon storage. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program will oversee the restoration.
Another focus is the Bottle Branch watershed in Berlin, where Assateague Coastal Trust is working with homeowners along the stream to address flooding, streambank erosion, and habitat improvements for aquatic wildlife.
The project also includes 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 purchase land within the watershed that could be preserved from future development and used for stormwater storage and treatment.
The state also awarded an additional $250,000 for monitoring projects in 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.”
According to McIntosh, the environmental monitoring data will be incorporated into Maryland’s annual Water Quality Report Card. The partnership will also work with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to begin tracking social and economic impacts associated with the restoration work.
The latest funding builds on restoration efforts already underway throughout the watershed.
Earlier this year, officials unveiled plans for a stream restoration project along Hudson Branch in Berlin, where approximately 2,000 feet of stream will be reshaped into a more natural, meandering channel. The project is designed to reconnect the stream to its floodplain, slow water flow, improve pollutant filtration, and reduce erosion before water reaches Newport Bay.
The Newport Bay watershed was selected in 2025 as one of the first five watersheds to receive funding through Maryland’s Whole Watershed Act, legislation approved by the General Assembly in 2024. The initiative provides long-term funding for restoration projects that address water quality, stormwater management, and habitat protection.
The watershed encompasses Berlin, the western portion of South Point, the village of Newark, and surrounding agricultural and forested lands. Officials have said the area’s declining water quality is tied to a combination of stormwater runoff, agricultural impacts, aging septic systems, and marsh degradation.
Additional restoration projects will continue to be announced as work progresses over the remainder of the five-year initiative.