The port of Baltimore has sent its last haul of dredge material from the Baltimore Harbor and Chesapeake Bay channels to Hart-Miller Island, and the spit of land near the Back and Middle rivers in Baltimore County will enter the final phase of its conversion into a wildlife refuge and recreational area. Some 100 million cubic yards of material has been formed into 1,100 acres during the past 25 years. The island is now home to more than 200 species of birds, other animals and plants. Thousands of people also use it for boating, fishing, camping and other activities. The port will begin putting dredge material that is cleared from shipping lanes in Masonville. There already is a park there, so the new acreage will become land to store automobiles imported and exported through the port.

-Meredith Cohn