Outreach & Extension: Watershed Protection & Restoration
In so many local watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay, roads and parking lots, agricultural fields and housing developments have altered the natural flow of water to creeks and streams. Restoring these waterways and the Bay downstream will mean repairing watersheds, one by one. This kind of restoration places a heavy burden on local jurisdictions that often lack funds and expertise needed for designing watershed restoration strategies. Stormwater management. Agricultural runoff. Shoreline erosion. Stream restoration. Each plays an important role in reducing runoff of nutrients and sediment into the Bay. Each costs time and money.
Formed in 2009, the Watershed Assistance Collaborative assists communities and local governments in finding the resources they need for watershed restoration. Regional Watershed Restoration Specialists form the heart of the collaborative, helping to connect these entities with funding and project assistance. The collaborative is a partnership between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Coastal and Chesapeake Program, the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension, the Environmental Finance Center, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
