Is there a doctor in the house? There sure is. He’s Frank Hamons, deputy director for harbor development at the Maryland Port Administration. Known as Doctor Dredge by port workers and mariners, Hamons doesn’t have a medical degree or have a remedy for the common cold.

The good doctor overseas the Port Administration’s dredged material management program, which studies and identifies dredging needs and implements dredged material placement options for the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.

Recently, Hamons was named Port Leader of the Year by the Baltimore Junior Association of Commerce. In a longstanding tradition, recipients are nominated by the port community and voted on by a panel of peers.

“There is no one more deserving of this award than Frank Hamons,” state Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari said in a statement. “His contributions to the environmental science of dredged material placement are well-renowned in his industry.”

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Hamons has directed the restoration of several islands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including Poplar and Hart-Miller islands, and Cox Creek in Baltimore Harbor, using sediment from navigational channels.

Due to severe environmental erosion, Poplar Island had reduced to five acres by the 1990s from its original footprint of 1,140 acres in the 1800s. Today, through the leadership of Director Hamons, Poplar Island has been restored to its original acreage. Wildlife has returned, with more than 200 species of birds calling the island home.

Successful restoration projects like Poplar, Hart-Miller and this year’s focus, James Island, result from a team effort, including community involvement and input, according to Hamons.

“Tidal marsh and habitat is a unique project,” he said. “Communities have helped in the development from the very early stages of projects this size to completion.”

In 2004, the port administration received a national award from the American Association of Port Authorities for community and public involvement for its dredged material projects.

In addition to his environmental work, Hamons is also responsible for coordination of the port’s channel navigation systems. This system helps provide safe ship passage through Baltimore’s shipping channels.

Hamons, who has been with the port agency since 1980, will be awarded his recognition during the association’s 34th annual port luncheon scheduled for Sept. 27 at the Baltimore Sheraton Center Hotel.

A longtime export analyst and consultant, Joseph R. Hughes’ maritime-related articles have appeared in numerous publications. He is a native Baltimorean. E-mail your questions to him at jhughes_47@yahoo.com.