Turkey Point Living Shoreline

The Turkey Point Property Owners Association(TPPPOA) is working to ensure the protection of their treasured Island and its resources that are integral to the South River and the Chesapeake Bay. TPPOA’s vision and mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the Island’s unique character, culture, and environmental treasures and amenities for themselves and for all generations to follow. As part of this goal, TPPOA restored a segment of their shoreline through a Chesapeake Bay Trust grant and with support of the Federation.

The Turkey Point Island Marsh, a designated “Chesapeake String of Pearls” land protection site, is a robust and thriving salt marsh system that has been permanently protected from development via deed restriction. Protecting this special habitat from being breached and drained by the retreating shoreline at Turkey Point Beach 3 was a major goal for this living shoreline project. This stretch of beach is located along Selby Bay and is approximately 900 linear feet and is exposed to a small window of open Bay fetch. The shoreline was dynamic and appeared to be simultaneously eroding and retreating at a moderate rate. In early 2017, this stretch of shoreline was restored and stabilized using living shoreline segmented breakwaters to both prevent erosion and enhance the habitat value of the site.