Virginia rebuilt 1.09 miles of shoreline, creating new marsh and oyster reef in Chesapeake Bay

Virginia’s Ragged Island restoration is creating new marsh and oyster habitat while reducing sediment entering Chesapeake Bay. Virginia has completed a major shoreline restoration project on Ragged Island, helping rebuild wetlands and oyster habitat while reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay.The project, funded with $8 million from NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation, was carried out by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and Ducks Unlimited. According to NOAA Fisheries, project partners installed breakwater structures along 1.09 miles of shoreline to protect the marsh from erosion and restore habitat.Ragged Island shoreline has faced decades of erosionRagged Island is a 1,500-acre brackish marsh where the James River meets the Chesapeake Bay. For decades, wind, waves and rising sea levels have gradually eaten away at the shoreline.Since 1937, hundreds of feet of marsh have disappeared. In some areas, erosion has left exposed walls of black soil several feet high, while saltwater has killed trees and other vegetation farther inland.The loss of marsh has also contributed to sediment and nutrient pollution entering the Chesape...