Maryland is home to some of the largest tidal marshes in the northeastern United States and an impressive array of bird species, such as Saltmarsh Sparrow and Black Rail, that live only in this harsh yet beautiful ecosystem. Unfortunately, the future for these birds is uncertain—sea level rise, caused in part by climate change, threatens to drown many of our salt marshes during the present century.

To address this threat, Audubon has launched a salt marsh conservation initiative as part of its Atlantic Flyway strategy. In Maryland, Audubon recently completed a two-year salt marsh survey to locate the highest priority sites for salt marsh birds, and is producing conservation plans to help Maryland’s tidal marshes adapt to sea level rise. David Curson, Audubon’s Director of Bird Conservation in Maryland, will provide the latest update on this story and explain how Audubon is using science and partnerships to give Maryland’s salt marsh birds a brighter future.

Curson has worked as director of bird conservation for Audubon Maryland-DC, since 2004, overseeing the MD-DC Important Bird Areas Program and designing and implementing conservation projects for birds and their habitats in Maryland and DC. Since 2010, Dave’s work with Audubon in Maryland has focused on tidal marsh conservation. Dave grew up in London, England. In 1985, he received his B.Sc. in ecology at the University of East Anglia and began a career in conservation biology, working as a habitat survey ecologist for local government and NGOs in London. He came to the United States in 1993 to begin graduate studies and received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the Department of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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