Maryland’s Eastern Shore

The Eastern Shore is of immense importance to the ecological health of the Chesapeake Bay and watershed. It is characterized by wetlands, sounds, bays, near-shore islands, and creeks and rivers. The marshlands and wetlands play pivotal roles in preventing agricultural nutrient runoff from entering the Bay. Nutrient-enriched water can promote excessive concentrations of algae, which in turn deplete water oxygen levels and, in combination with high sediment levels, cause reductions in underwater grasses in tidal shallows. Underwater grasses are critical habitats for many finfish and shellfish, and they also improve water quality by buffering shorelines from wave action, filtering sediment and absorbing nutrients. The Eastern Shore is also an important resting station on the Atlantic Flyway, attracting huge flocks of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, making it a birder’s paradise). 

The region possesses a distinct cultural identity within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the state of Maryland. Those “born on the Shore” are known to be independent and hard working. This sense of being different than others in the state and region is expressed in popular culture, through, for example, song: “We don’t give a damn ‘bout the whole state of Maryland. We’re from the Eastern Shore” . It was only with the opening of the Bay bridge connecting the western and eastern shores of the Bay in 1952 did the Shore become readily accessible to all Marylanders and other tourists. 

Today, The Eastern Shore is a patchwork of public and private parks and forests, wildlife management areas, agricultural lands, suburban development and fishing docks. It provides important habitat for waterbirds and other wildlife. 

The eastern shore produces grain, soybeans, and poultry. As Maryland’s most concentrated agricultural region, counties in the Middle Shore area account for almost one-third of Maryland’s agricultural land and produce over 50% of major crops, such as corn, soybean, wheat and barley.

The Eastern Shore is ranked by the American Farmland Trust as one of the most threatened working landscapes in the country. The threat comes principally from suburbanization as new homes and the infrastructure needed to support them replace farms. Nearly 52,000 acres of farmland on the Eastern Shore were lost from 1980 to 2000. There is overall concern on the part of the community citizens that the nature and character of the small town will disappear. 

 

County government leadership is looking beyond the immediate difficulties and is taking a regional approach. This is exemplified by the fact that the six counties have agreed to work cooperatively toward the goals of Eastern Shore 2010: A Regional Vision, (ESLC 2002). The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), in conjunction with a wide range of rural stakeholders, including county government, is working on a regional plan that includes four important goals: 1) Strive to protect from development through the use of voluntary preservation programs 50% of Eastern Shore land outside of locally designated growth areas by 2010; 2) Recognize our resource-based economy as a key part of the Eastern Shore heritage and future by integrating agriculture, fisheries, and forestry into each county’s economic development plan by 2005; 3) Work with existing communities to guide at least 50% of new annual growth into locally-designated growth areas by 2005; and 4) Develop a regional transportation plan that integrates the use of public transportation and alternative modes of transportation with and among communities by 2010.