Anyone who has spent years boating along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline of Mathews is familiar with the rapid disappearance of the county’s islands. New Point Island eroded years ago. Rigby Island near Hole in the Wall has but a remnant of its once-extensive reach. It is fading fast. Gwynn’s Island has experienced its share of erosion problems in the past and it is unsettling to think what could happen if a major hurricane targeted its fury at that point.

We print below an article from the Bay Journal News Service showing how good planning and an infusion of federal funds are bringing back an island in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Several decades ago, the use of dredge spoils was proposed to rebuild New Point Island, some of which was still intact. Authorities rejected the idea out of hand…we believe they said it was too far to haul dredged material.

If such a project could work in Maryland, why can it not also work here? It’s good for wildli...