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Volunteers Help Restore Chesapeake's Poplar Island

BALTIMORE (AP) -- State and federal agencies will be restoring Poplar Island this week along with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which found volunteers to plant marsh grasses.

The island off the coast of Tilghman Island on the Eastern Shore has suffered from severe erosion and is being restored with material dredged from the bottom of the bay to keep shipping lanes open. The 1,000-acre island had dwindled down to four acres before restoration began. Marsh grasses stabilize the shoreline and fight erosion while providing habitat for wildlife.

The National Aquarium is partnering with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Port Administration, Maryland Environmental Service and Ports America Chesapeake.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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