Maryland will benefit from more than $12 million in conservation grants

ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 2, 2022) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced more than $12 million in grants to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Maryland. NFWF and EPA representatives joined local leaders and community members at Truxtun Park in Annapolis, MD to announce the awards. The 39 grants will provide more than $9.5 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $21.5 million.

The grants were awarded through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grant Program and Small Water Grant (SWG) programs, core federal-state grant programs Chesapeake Bay Program association that are administered under NFWF Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF). CBSF is a partnership between NFWF and EPA to provide grants, technical assistance, and networking and information sharing in support of local on-the-ground conservation and restoration efforts to restore the Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.

These awards, along with the other 65 announced today, include $15 million provided through funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which is the first set of infrastructure funding awards to be announced soon. Additional federal agency funding for CBSF is provided by the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the US Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service. Private funding is provided by Altria Group, Zoetis and Astra Zeneca, with additional funding this year from the Bezos Earth Fund.

“This funding not only helps launch critical water quality programs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but represents an investment in public health and the communities that call the bay home,” said Janet McCabe, deputy administrator of the EPA. “Our partnerships and collaborative approaches bring farmers, landowners, communities, businesses and local leaders together as a team, working collaboratively to reduce pollution, improve water quality and revitalize their communities.”

The 104 grants announced today will support innovative, community-led approaches to reduce pollution in local rivers and streams, restore habitat, and improve rural and urban communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These projects will further emphasize partnerships and collaborative approaches as central to effective local and regional ecosystem restoration efforts and the involvement of local communities in the planning, design and implementation of restoration and conservation efforts . The funds will help partners engage community organizations, farmers and agricultural producers, landowners, churches, businesses and municipalities to improve the quality of life in their communities, local water quality and ultimately the health of the Bay of Chesapeake. The awards also include projects that support communities seeking to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the planning, design and implementation of ecosystem restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed that are ‘align with NFWF and EPA conservation goals.

“The grants announced today represent the largest annual investment in on-the-ground restoration projects in the more than 20-year history of NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency atmosphere in the US,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO. of NFWF. “These grants demonstrate the power and conservation impact of supporting local communities in implementing conservation projects that support broader restoration goals for the Chesapeake Bay while addressing critical local priorities for to environmental improvements”.

Some of this year’s Chesapeake Stewardship Fund grant recipients in Maryland include:

Chesapeake Conservation ($445,400) plans to deploy community-led conservation teams in Baltimore City and Prince George’s and Howard Counties to focus on tree planting and maintenance, green infrastructure improvements and maintenance, native habitat restoration and other priority greening projects.

National Wildlife Federation ($146,500) intends to create and improve pollinator habitat around urban agriculture and nursery sites in Baltimore in partnership with community organizations that seek to expand education, training and access to food for local communities.

Oyster Recovery Association ($471,900) will advance efforts to restore oyster populations in Eastern Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland by establishing stakeholder goals and objectives for long-term oyster population efforts and participation and engagement community education.

Chesapeake River Association ($75,000) plans to retrofit an existing stormwater pond into a regenerative stormwater conveyance with an integrated stream and wetland habitat.

A complete list of recipients of the 2022 Chesapeake Bay Innovative Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Grants is available. here. A full list of 2022 Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed grant recipients is available here. See a list of quotes from elected officials about today’s grant announcement here.

Since 2006, the INSR Program has provided more than $123 million to 219 projects that have reduced 22 million pounds of nitrogen, 4 million pounds of phosphorus, and 480,000 tons of sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The SWG program has provided more than $109 million to 496 projects that have permanently protected 169,00 acres under conservation easements, restored more than 1,550 miles of riparian habitat and 14,000 acres of wetlands, and involved more than 125,000 resident volunteers in watershed conservation and restoration. efforts

To learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund or to download the 2022 Chesapeake Bay Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Innovative Grant Boards, visit www.nfwf.org/chesapeake.