Eastern Shore Land Conservancy continues to partner with the Town of St. Michaels helping to fund and provide input on habitat improvements planned for the future San Domingo Creek Park, including meadow and wetland expansions. ESLC will also assist with habitat management education. A major milestone in the process has already been reached: the removal of more than 2.5 acres of impervious surface, which lays the groundwork for new meadows seeded with native plants like rudbeckia, wild bergamot, bee balm, little bluestem, mistflower, and coneflowers. These plantings will provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators critical to healthy ecosystems and productive agriculture, while also creating habitat for grassland birds whose populations have long been in decline.

Restoring habitat here is about more than birds and butterflies—it strengthens the entire landscape. Native vegetation slows stormwater runoff, filters pollutants before they reach San Domingo Creek and the Choptank River, and helps stabilize the soil from erosion. And by attracting pollinators and birds, the space will also support other wildlife, becoming a refuge for biodiversity right in the heart of St. Michaels.

Other planned improvements, such as waterfront trails and a rehabilitated pier, will expand public access to the water—something that remains surprisingly rare in Talbot County despite its extensive shoreline. San Domingo Creek Park is set to become a model of how conservation, climate resilience, and community can come together in one place.

If you’d like to learn more or get involved in supporting the park’s restoration, please reach out to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. Together, we can ensure this new public space grows into a thriving natural and community resource for generations to come.