MARYLAND -- Maryland will receive more than $16.7 million in federal conservation grants aimed at improving water quality, restoring habitats and supporting community-led environmental efforts across the Chesapeake Bay watershed -- including projects on the Eastern Shore.
The funding, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, includes 38 grants expected to generate more than $10.5 million in matching contributions, bringing the total conservation impact to over $27.2 million.
Several projects will directly benefit Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In Somerset County, the National Audubon Society was awarded more than $610,000 to restore 73 acres of salt marsh at Irish Grove Sanctuary. The effort is designed to improve habitat for breeding saltmarsh sparrows while reducing flood and erosion risks for nearby infrastructure.
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay received $1 million to help farmers adopt conservation practices such as riparian forest buffers, which improve water quality and strengthen environmental resilience.
EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey said the grants reflect targeted investments in agricultural conservation, wetland and floodplain restoration, and living shorelines.
“These investments will deliver cleaner water and healthier habitats, while fostering economic growth across the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” Van Blarcom-Lackey said.
Collectively, the projects are expected to restore wetlands and marshes, plant miles of riparian buffers, treat stormwater runoff and support more than 700 restoration jobs. Officials also estimate the work will significantly reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay each year.
The grants are part of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, a multi-state effort focused on restoring the nation’s largest estuary and meeting goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.