A 1847 survey revealed that the Poplar Islands original size was 461 hectares but in the 1990s, the land mass diminished reaching just two hectares. Indeed, the Poplar Islands are victims of erosion and some of its habitats such as wetlands, remote islands, shorelines and submerged aquatic vegetation need restoration.
The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Port Administration (MPA), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Baltimore District compose the Poplar Island Project Team that aims to preserve and even rebuild the place. Furthermore, the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), an independent state agency is in charge of two habitats building, tidal wetlands and uplands.
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To succeed in the restoring land, MES is using up to six Volvo A25 articulated haulers and an EC300E amphibious excavator purchased in 2016 from local Volvo dealership McClung-Logan Equipment Company.
John Mirabile, equipment fleet manager at the MES said: “We look for several things when choosing new construction equipment: quality, innovativeness and pricing. Volvo ticked all those boxes.”
An expansion of the Poplar Island is also part of the project that would after completion bring the Island at 694 hectares size.
