ASSATEAGUE ISLAND RANGER STATION - Berlin, MD
Assateague Island is a barrier island separating Sinepuxent Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and traversing the border between Maryland and Virginia. Maryland DGS and DNR are building a new, expanded Ranger Station with site improvements at the North End of the island, situated at the end of a series of campgrounds. This construction is timely as the Base Flood Elevation increased to 10 ft. from 6 ft. above sea level. The site is subject to Maryland's Critical Area regulations.
Office: Mahan Rykiel
Status: Construction Documents
Architect: Transystems
Civil Engineering: Carroll Engineering
Project Management: John Merritt
Park Manager: Angela Baldwin
Site Plan
I stripped out the notes and superfluous graphics in the drawing above to convey the basic parts of the site plan. The landscape intervention is very simple: boulders, timber beams, and timber platforms for seating, and plants that can persist in coastal environments. The primary reasoning behind the timber benches and boulders for seating was -- half-joking, half-not -- the anticipation of a Biblical-scale tide unmooring the site furnishings and hauling them out to sea. Despite the metal components to the benches, we figured we would not be adding trash to the ocean.
The planting scheme attempts to address the numerous difficult conditions characteristic of this site. The trees are all evergreen species with a proven record of good performance on the island and are resilient against harsh winds. Understanding that evergreen trees transpire year-round and that the winds can desiccate the trees, yet trying to avoid the installation of an irrigation system, we worked with the civil engineer to provide an ample number of hose bibs so the trees can be watered easily. The herbaceous materials needed to be drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and . . . horse-tolerant.
The Assateague horses are feral animals, not endemic to the island, but having adapted to the island's harsh conditions marked by extreme temperatures, a very plentiful mosquito population, and a nutrient-poor diet. The presence of these horses tempered the species selection. Rushes and sedges luckily are not on their menu, but grasses are a staple and most certainly would be devoured.
Site Section
The current buffer between parking lots is a two-foot planting strip with a split rail fence. The DNR desired a buffer that fit in with the context so we pursued the idea of simulating a dune landscape with drifts of coastal plantings. This section is cut along the path running East-West at the top of the drawing.