This time-lapse satellite video shows how the U.S. Army has built a huge island in the Chesapeake Bay. According to Gizmodo, the Army has been building this island since 1998. These images were taken by a Landsat satellite, which is managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological survey.
It appears that the Army began building sand dikes to establish the perimeter of the island, named "Poplar Island." But it has been nicknamed "Mud Island" because it is made out of the mud and sand dredged up from the nearby Baltimore Harbor.
While no one knows exactly what the purpose of Poplar Island is, it is already starting conspiracy theories that it is an evil lair for devious governmental plans.
According to the government, it is home to 170 species of birds, which sounds exactly like something the government would say when they're trying to cover something up.
Is Poplar Island a sinister headquarters for secret governmental tests? Or is it the world's most expensive wildlife refuge? We may never know, but the architecture plans were also released in 2009. (We love how these are called the "Master Plan")
And here is an aerial shot provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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If they are simply rebuilding an island that disappeared due to erosion, my question would be why do this when the nation is struggling economically. The money could go to something more useful. Given hush hush projects such as HAARP and Plum Island, I will always be skeptical of the government.
July 07 2012 at 4:58 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis is no secret military island. I worked with the Maryland Port Administration in 1995 and they needed a place to dump dredge spoils so they could deepen and widen their shipping channels in Baltimore Harbor and its approaches to accommodate larger ships. The only choices they had was dump the spoils at sea (hugely expensive), dump them in the deep parts of Chesapeake Bay (environmentally unfriendly), or create an island next to an existing island. They chose the latter. It isn't any more complex than that. Oh, the Army Corps of Engineers managed the project because it is in Federal waters.
July 07 2012 at 12:57 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeah, those dredge material dump sites are pretty sinister.
July 07 2012 at 12:55 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThey're actually rebuilding it. It was about that size and shape when Europeans first came here. Why they're doing it is another question.
July 07 2012 at 12:38 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOh wow, I live directly across from the Poplars on the Western Shore and this would explain all of those cigar shaped lights that we see hovering in the wee hours of the morning ,,,, and the high pitched noises.....hahahaha....thanks for the laugh Cory, writings like these keep us all on the alert for the best moronic humor. BTW, check out the history of the Poplar Islands, it is fascinating ! Chesapeake Bay remains awesome!
July 06 2012 at 8:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyChurch of Scientology IS RAPING CHILDREN IN CHINA AND AFRICA
July 06 2012 at 8:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOK - so now after all our rage... the Gizmondo Article, which seems like the source material (can you say "plagiarism" Cory Jones?) kind of actually tells the truth.. only after 3+ paragraphs of conspiracy theory spawning conjecture and little factual content.
July 06 2012 at 8:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyChurch of Scientology IS RAPING CHILDREN IN AFRICA AND CHINA
July 06 2012 at 8:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyto the publisher of this "article"... please do 1 of 2 things: research the background of Poplar Island and post an informative article about it, raising awareness about efforts to work with the environment, - or - pull this misleading piece of tripe off the web. In either case, reprimand, fire, or flog the "author." Thank you
July 06 2012 at 8:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThey're simply rebuilding an island that had all but disappeared due to erosion.
July 06 2012 at 8:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCheck it out: http://www.fws.gov/ChesapeakeBay/Newsletter/Summer05/Poplar%20Island/Island.htm