The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced 82 grants totaling $35 million to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The grants were awarded through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction and the Small Watershed grants programs—core grant programs of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership that are administered under NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund. Through these awards, NFWF and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have prioritized investments that accelerate implementation of natural and nature-based watershed restoration practices that provide long-term water quality improvement benefits, increase aquatic and terrestrial habitat for at-risk species, and enhance climate resilience for human and wildlife communities.

The funds will help partners engage farmers and agricultural producers, community-based organizations, homeowners, churches, businesses, and municipalities to improve local water quality and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Recipients include the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District, which was awarded nearly $1 million to install approximately 5,200 linear feet of living shorelines on agricultural properties along the James River in Charles City County to improve shoreline stabilization and prevent water quality degradation in the Chesapeake Bay and property loss; Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which will receive $476,300 to deliver whole-farm conservation systems on farms in Maryland and West Virginia’s Upper Potomac River watershed to enhance water quality and resilient agriculture in the region; and Lower Shore Land Trust, which was awarded $1 million to expand the capacity of the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) Restoration and Conservation Network to accelerate restoration and conservation practices in the Chesapeake Bay watershed portion of the Delmarva Peninsula to implement 160 acres of wetland and buffer practices.

“These grants reflect our continuing commitment to protect the Chesapeake Bay and preserve our nation’s environmental legacy for future generations,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic regional administrator Adam Ortiz. “This historic investment by the Biden-Harris Administration enables EPA to continue to provide game-changing funding for our partners who are equally committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the communities, people, and businesses who rely on the Bay.”

For a complete list of grants, see the NFWF website.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Alex Potemkin)