As the pressure for land use change, and wildlife habitat loss have increased, opportunities to appreciate the wildness of the Chesapeake have become more elusive. The Land Group is pleased to offer the Riverside Lodge together with its storied history, sense of place, high quality wildlife habitats on more than 980 acres of the Hoopers Island complex of islands in Chesapeake Bay. The Lodge and improvements together with the 988.66 deeded acres of land are available in fee simple sale(No business sale is being conducted, only the sale of real property, the current business is being closed through the owner’s retirement.)
Since the early 1900's, The Riverside Lodge has offered safe harbor from the wilds of the Bay and days afield in the marsh. If walls could talk, the storied lodge would have much to say about the hunting and fishing traditions around Hoopers Island. The 3,900 sqft footp...
Since the early 1900's, The Riverside Lodge has offered safe harbor from the wilds of the Bay and days afield in the marsh. If walls could talk, the storied lodge would have much to say about the hunting and fishing traditions around Hoopers Island. The 3,900 sqft footprint boasts a warm welcome after a day on the landscape of southwestern Dorchester County. As you enter into the front door, you're greeted with a long hallway fitted with gun racks and personal lockers to shed and store hunting layers and equipment. The wood paneled lounge with a grand fireplace and bar offers a place to relax and relive the experiences of that day. The living room leads you out to the formal and casual dining areas. A spacious enclosed porch offers views of the Chesapeake Bay. The formal dining room walls embraces the regional culture through a canvas mural painted by an Italian artist in 1968 showing the timeless occupation and tradition of waterman on the Chesapeake Bay. For decades, the tradition of candlelit meals in this room has been the center point of camaraderie, companionship, reminiscence of bountiful days past, and optimism of days yet to come. The lodge has five bedrooms and five and a half baths with a guides room that could be converted to a sixth bedroom. The kitchen is a commercial scale well appointed with multiple fridges and freezers, a walk in pantry, and a gas stove range. The widows walk offers 360 degree views of the Honga River, Chesapeake Bay, and southern length of the Riverside Lodge ownership. This ownership embodies the history and tradition of life with the bountiful landscape of the Chesapeake Bay while also providing comfort in some of the most scenic marshes in the region.
The high salt marsh ecosystem is critical to the Chesapeake and its ecology. While providing obvious habitats, it also provides shelter to sub-aquatic grass beds (SAV) from storms and damaging tidal events. SAVs are the underwater forests of the Chesapeake. These habitats provide critical environment for aquatic life in the Bay including Rockfish, Redfish, oysters and Blue Crab. Additionally, SAVs are an important part of the diet to wintering waterfowl. Red Heads, Canvasback, Widgeon and other puddle ducks are clearly recognized for their preference for these underwater grasses. While these grass beds around the Bay have become less plentiful, places like Hoopers Island have become even more important in providing critical wintering food resources to waterfowl. In only a short ride along the Shoreline the vast grass beds around this island complex are significant and expansive. While Bay grasses are important, the habitats provided within these lands also include shallow freshwater habitats in the form of constructed impoundments. The managed impoundment habitats offer the opportunity to plant and flood annual grains (sorghum primarily). The impoundments are improved with adjacent wells and the ability to operate generators for pumping water or running ice eaters when temperatures require such management. The more than 12 acres in floodable habitats are incredibly unique to this property and obtaining the required permitting and approvals necessary for such projects today in this environment would prove nearly impossible.
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