Four University of Michigan School for the Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) master’s students, advised by SEAS faculty Allen Burton and Kai Zhu, have been working with Envision The Choptank to provide valuable information about the health and future management of tidal marshes in the Choptank River of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Envision the Choptank is a coalition of organizations with a shared goal of protecting the Choptank River, protecting adjacent marshes and supporting restoration efforts. The client, which was founded in 2015, includes partnerships with nonprofits, local and state government agencies, scientists, and community groups. 

The Choptank River is the longest river on the Delmarva Peninsula at 68 miles long. It is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and runs through Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Choptank was once known for abundant wetlands and fisheries but since 1965, it has experienced a steady decline in water quality. Increasing agricultural runoff and land development have led to low dissolved oxygen, which has affected fish, oysters and underwater grasses’ ability to thrive. 

While there has been significant research into the Choptank’s populations of native oysters, which are a key economic driver of the region, the river’s marsh conditions have been understudied. The master’s capstone students have focused on five marshes on the Choptank River. 

Marshes matter

Marshes historically have been seen as unproductive land when making land-use decisions. However, “marshes matter,” says Paul Cirillo (MS ’26), an Ecosystem Science and Management student working on the project. Marshes mitigate pollution by filtering nutrients and other pollutants from development or agriculture before they can reach freshwater and estuarine sources. The Choptank Watershed is a sub-basin within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which supports over 18 million people ranging from New York to Virginia. 

Along the densely populated and developed East Coast, marshes offer critical ecosystem services. They protect from natural disasters; in the face of storms and erosion, marshes are the first barrier. These critical habitats are also home to endemic species, which are only found in the Chesapeake Bay region. 

Rising sea levels threaten marshes with freshwater habitats, a phenomenon referred to as saltwater intrusion. Tidal freshwater marsh plants cannot survive in high-salinity conditions, and native species that use these habitat areas are threatened. Protecting these marshes protects sensitive species and biodiversity. The SEAS team hopes that their work will change the perception that marshes are smelly and not necessary. 

Project structure

In addition to Cirillo, the master’s project team consists of Ilana Greenspan (MS ’26), Ecosystem Science and Management and Geospatial Data Sciences, Mia McNinch (MS ’26), Ecosystem Science and Management and Environmental Policy and Planning (MS ’26), and Bojun (William) Zong (MS ’26), Ecosystem Science and Management. They have utilized their strengths and interests in their analysis of the Choptank River. The collaborative approach to the project has brought the team closer together. “I’ve done a lot of things before this project individually, but I feel we are a very good team, and I have enjoyed the process,” says Zong says. 

The team will be delivering a management assessment and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis of the Choptank River to Envision the Choptank. Cirillo and McNinch have focused on the management assessment and a literature review. They have researched how marsh quality and area have changed over time, and some of the current strategies partners are using to restore, conserve and help marshes persist. For Cirillo, who hopes to work with wetlands, the project is providing valuable experience. “It is very fitting for setting myself up to just gain more experience in that field,” he notes. In interviews with government officials, nonprofits, and academics, they have learned about the state of marsh restoration, challenges faced in the Choptank, and potential opportunities for restoration. They will combine their literature review and interviews into a larger report they hope will serve as valuable resource for Envision the Choptank. 

Zong and Greenspan are working on the GIS analysis of the five marshes. Greenspan has been focused on how the marshes have changed over time. She has examined historical data and compared it to current conditions. Zong has worked to create future projections of the marshes by analyzing sea level rise risks and marsh migration corridors. Marshes migrate when facing sea level rise, and understanding where they might go will help inform conservation efforts. Their GIS analyses will help the client visualize the past, present and future conditions of the marshes and provide valuable spatial information for decision-making. 

Preliminary findings

The team’s preliminary findings suggest the marshes are declining at a rapid rate. “The marsh area is shrinking,” Zong says, “and it will be shrinking” in the future. While looking at data from the past 20 years, there have been significant losses. Historical data dating back to before American independence provides a long-term perspective that underscores the rapid decline in more recent years. 

The visual impact on the marshes has been striking, according to Cirillo. He describes “the amount that some marshes shrank was shocking.” Some of the marshes developed pockets or pools in their centers, which is troubling because it leads to faster land loss. However, some of the marshes have not lost much area over time. The team does not know why this is, but has suggested it could be due to localized factors or the river’s currents at different marshes. 

Marshes have different “options” to survive. Some migrate to wide spaces as they face sea level rise. The team found that marshes face “hard barriers,” such as steep elevation gains between where the marshes are and where they want to go, explains Cirillo. The team witnessed these hard barriers firsthand during their October 2025 site visit. For marshes trapped by these barriers, sediment replenishment may be the only viable strategy, the team notes.

The findings highlight difficult tradeoffs. A lot of the land where the marshes could migrate is farmland, which then raises the question, “Are you willing to give boundary land for marshes?” asks Zong. “How are those people going to survive? If you want people to survive, what about the marshes?” Zong describes on a personal level how his grandparents in China would use Phragmites sticks found in marshes to make lids for cooking pots. Sharing meals prepared with traditional tools left a lasting impression on him. “These are tied back to my own stories; that’s how my family did those things, for hundreds of years.” The realization that when marsh resources disappear, cultural traditions vanish with them has given the work profound meaning for Zong. “When those things are gone, it’s probably a little bit bad,” he reflects.

One interviewee told Cirillo that farmer collaboration with marsh restoration could be “a whole thesis,” emphasizing how the team is “just touching the tip of the iceberg of what it actually takes to solve that problem.”

Working with the client

The team has built a relationship with Envision the Choptank. “I love our client. They have been so helpful,” says Cirillo. Even during government shutdowns, the coalition remained engaged and responsive. “They actively ask, ‘do you need any help that we can arrange for?’” says Zong, noting the support has been valuable for GIS analysis. “We feel like we are working together, and that it’s not just a client-boss relationship.”

The experience has helped the team build professional skills in client communication and project management. Cirillo says the skills go beyond science, “to what is important for working in industry after graduation.” Burton, one of the team’s advisors, says “our student team has done an outstanding job working with their clients on this interesting and timely project.”

Once their project is complete, the team hopes their work will help Envision the Choptank and state agencies prioritize strategies for marsh conservation. Their work will provide a strong backbone to ensure marsh ecosystems and the traditions they support can endure.