ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday announced the awarding of $22 million to 25 ecological restoration projects that will improve water quality and habitat in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, while building local resilience to climate impacts. These awards encompass 123 unique sites that will be restored using best management practices, including riparian buffer and reforestation plantings, stream restoration, stormwater management, and wetland creation.

“Our administration has committed record investments in bay restoration and remains committed to preserving this national treasure,” said Governor Hogan. “These funds will improve the quality of our bay, and make Maryland a better and more resilient place for generations to come.”

Grants are made possible with funding through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, which targets the most cost-efficient and effective non-point source pollution reduction projects. The projects awarded this funding round will benefit local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay by annually removing over 45,000 pounds of nitrogen, 4,500 pounds of phosphorus, and 6,500 tons of suspended solids.

“These projects best exemplify meaningful action of local communities and organizations partnering to improve water quality for our Bay,” said Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “We are pleased to continue our support of restoration that not only protects our waterways, but also provides critical nature-based solutions to combat climate impacts.”

The projects are listed on the DNR website along with other programs that are accessible through the department’s streamlined Grants Gateway application process.

Through the improved connections across similar grant programs, the department seeks to support more comprehensive and integrated projects that achieve at least one of the following outcomes: fostering healthy ecosystems, building resiliency, or providing outdoor learning experiences. By adding increased efficiency to the process, the department hopes to encourage more entities to develop comprehensive and integrated projects across Maryland.

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