Trying to Keep its Head above Water
Marissa Baldine • March 30, 2021
Saltmarsh Sparrows are small, inconspicuous birds with a quiet song. Birders sometimes catch fleeting glimpses of them gripping stems over the grass line, studying the marsh below for bugs and seeds to feed on. Although not always seen, this bird lives exclusively in tidal salt marshes found on the east coast of the United States, many of which are in the Chesapeake Bay.
Tragically, the saltmarsh sparrow population is in steep decline due to severe disruption to its salt marsh habitat. It is estimated that since 1998, the population of the saltmarsh sparrow has dropped by 87 percent —meaning that more than four out of every five sparrows are lost. Their population is projected to drop at a rate of nine percent, leading to extinction within the next 30 years.
Rising sea levels and changing weather patterns caused by climate change are effectively drowning tidal marshes where saltmarsh sparrows live and raise their young. For generations, these birds have maintained a careful balance for nest placement: high enough to avoid the flood line, low enough to avoid predators, late enough in spring to have warm weather and early enough to avoid summer storms. But climate change has thrown all of this evolutionary conditioning to the wind. The floods that the Saltmarsh Sparrows have avoided for so long are becoming less predictable and more severe, and each year more chicks are drowning.
“The environment is always changing and birds, in a sense, are always evolving through natural selection in response to changes that usually go back and forth, but this is a big one-directional change that is happening too fast for the sparrows to evolve and respond to,” said David Curson, the Maryland director of bird conservation for the Audubon Society.
A little flooding can be managed and has always been part of the sparrow's life. In the past, sparrows were able to keep their nests out of reach from the daily high tides by coordinating their nesting cycle with the monthly high tide lunar cycle. The cordgrass that nests are built under forms a protective arch that typically keeps eggs from floating away, even when flooding occurs. However, severe storms and rising sea levels cause flooding mid-cycle that the birds can’t plan around, and the flooding is too significant for even the high-arched nesting areas. When you’re only a couple of inches tall and unable to fly, a few inches of rain can be catastrophic. An entire breeding season can be wiped out with one or two storms.
Referencing a 2011 salt marsh nesting survey led by the Audubon Society, Curson said, “There are places where we found Saltmarsh Sparrows in 2011 and 2012 where we don’t see them anymore, so we’re really seeing the impact of this change. To most birdwatchers, all of this is happening in places that are inaccessible to them so they’re not noticing it because you don’t often go to places where you will see Saltmarsh Sparrows.”
In addition to having their nests flooded, Saltmarsh Sparrows are also dealing with the loss of salt marsh habitat all together. Traditionally, salt marshes and wetlands have been abundant in the watershed, specifically on Maryland’s tidal shores.
According to Curson, “The regional analysis of [the 2011 and 2012 survey] data showed that a quarter of the world’s population of the Saltmarsh Sparrow breeds in Maryland. Which means we have a big responsibility for them here in the Chesapeake Bay and also in the coastal bays.”
A combination of sea level rise and development have dismantled salt marsh and other wetland habitats, which birds like Black Rails, Clapper Rails, Willets, and Seaside Sparrows also rely on.
But salt marshes aren’t only worth saving for the habitat they provide birds. They have many other environmental benefits. Marshes trap polluted runoff, keeping sediment and other pollution out of the Bay, which keeps aquatic life healthy. During severe storms, the marshes serve as a buffer and protect nearby communities from flooding. And a wide variety of species are supported by the marshes which boosts the ecotourism industry throughout the region.
The Chesapeake Bay Program established a target in the most recent Watershed Agreement of creating or reestablishing 85,000 acres of tidal and non-tidal wetlands and enhancing function of an additional 150,000 acres of degraded wetlands by 2025. Salt marshes, which are brackish or saltwater wetlands, are included in this effort.
A number of Bay Program partners including the Audubon Society, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and others are working extensively to conserve existing marshes in areas such as Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Deal Island Wildlife Management, Barren Island, and James Island. By using the nesting data from the Audubon Society’s 2011 survey, conservationists can target the most critically important nesting areas.
The Saltmarsh Sparrow is the canary in the coal mine of wetland climate change, and if we don’t listen to this warning, we risk losing some of our most valuable natural resources of the Chesapeake region. But according to Curson, there is hope for Saltmarsh Sparrows if we can prioritize marsh conservation.
“If we can double-up our goals and make sure we have nesting sites in places the sparrows use and need with the right kind of salt marsh, then that will save the sparrow.”
Marisa Baldine is a Communications Staffer at the Chesapeake Research Consortium.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
