What changed
From an environmental challenge to a wildlife refuge.
Masonville Cove became the nation’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.
- 35,000+students in hands-on environmental education at Masonville Cove
- 4,000community volunteers, who gave more than 20,000 hours to restoration
- 251bird species on restored habitat, including Baltimore City’s only nesting bald eagles
- $2Min incremental revenue, a 100% increase over initial seed funding
The client
Located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the Port of Baltimore is a multi-billion-dollar economic engine for the State of Maryland.
While the Port’s inland location offers strategic advantages, operating in the Chesapeake Bay presents significant sustainability challenges, especially when it comes to managing the material that must be dredged from Baltimore Harbor so the largest cargo ships, which drive the regional economy, can reach it.
The Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP) of the Maryland Port Administration guides the management of sediment removed from the shipping channels. Through extensive collaboration and technological innovation, the sediment is being used to benefit the Chesapeake Bay and the region’s citizens: restoring eroding islands, creating new habitat for endangered wildlife, and making useful products.
The challenge
The Port’s inland location within the sensitive Chesapeake Bay ecosystem created a sustainability dilemma that threatened both economic growth and environmental health.
The Port supports thousands of jobs and handles millions of tons of cargo every year. It faced critical challenges:
- Shipping channels required continuous dredging to accommodate larger vessels, generating millions of cubic yards of sediment annually
- Limited public understanding created opposition to dredging programs, jeopardizing the Port’s ability to remain competitive
- Regulatory and permitting obstacles slowed essential infrastructure improvements
- Lack of visibility for the Port’s economic and environmental contributions undermined public and policy support
- Community stakeholders viewed the Port primarily as an industrial facility rather than a potential community asset
Without innovative intervention, these challenges threatened to constrain the Port’s economic potential, and to miss the opportunity to turn dredged material from a liability into an environmental asset.
Our approach
This needed more than a technical fix: a systems-level transformation connecting economic, environmental, and community interests.
We developed an integrated strategy that aligned stakeholders around a shared vision of prosperity and sustainability.
Systems thinking with local relevance
- Mapped the entire ecosystem of stakeholders, from port operations to community groups, environmental advocates, and policymakers
- Identified opportunities to transform dredged material management from a necessary burden into an environmental asset
- Created frameworks connecting economic growth, environmental restoration, and community benefits
Radical partnership development
- Facilitated unprecedented collaboration between government agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups
- Built trust through transparent engagement processes that acknowledged concerns while highlighting shared interests
- Developed a stakeholder coalition committed to both economic competitiveness and environmental stewardship
Creative leadership
- Reimagined dredged material as a valuable resource rather than waste
- Conceptualized and developed the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center as a near-net-zero facility showcasing sustainable design
- Designed educational programs connecting port operations with environmental restoration
Action over abstraction
- Created tangible demonstrations of environmental restoration using dredged material
- Developed virtual tour experiences making port operations accessible to the public
- Implemented real-time engagement strategies connecting port employees with community stakeholders
The outcome
Our systems-level approach delivered outcomes that went well beyond traditional port management.
Environment
- Facilitated the designation of Masonville Cove as the nation’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership
- Helped create habitat supporting 251 bird species, including Baltimore City’s only nesting bald eagles
- Contributed to the transformation of industrial areas into thriving ecological zones
Community
- Engaged 4,000 community volunteers, who contributed more than 20,000 hours to environmental restoration
- Connected 35,000+ students with hands-on environmental education programs at Masonville Cove
- Transformed public perception from opposition to enthusiastic support
Economy
- Supported deepening the channel to 50 feet, positioning Baltimore among only four East Coast ports able to handle the world’s largest cargo vessels
- Helped generate $2 million in incremental revenue, a 100% increase over initial seed funding
- Created sustainable funding streams that continue to grow annually
Policy
- Built stakeholder coalitions that successfully advocated for new supportive policies
- Created replicable models for sustainable port operations now being studied nationwide
- Demonstrated how infrastructure development can advance economic, environmental, and social goals at once
In one line
A win for the economy; a win for the planet.
The people behind the work
Meet the team
More work like this
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Working on a port, a waterfront, or a dredging program?
Kristen Keene was Chief of Strategy & Partnerships at the Maryland Port Administration, where she managed parts of Maryland’s Dredged Material Management Program.