Past Grants

Chesapeake Rivers Association

To fund the Riverkeeper Program, created to document the water quality of the Severn River. The program will determine the extent of deterioration and “dead zones” in order to encourage county and state governments to enforce environmental laws, and to allocate adequate resources to reverse the loss of healthy aquatic life.

Eastern ShoreLand Conservancy

For the preparation of the “State of the Shore Report,” documenting the effectiveness of land use planning as stipulated in the six-county Eastern Shore 2010 agreement. The report will incorporate recommendations for addressing shortfalls in an effort to support improved land-use awareness and practices.

St. Mary’s River Watershed Association

Toward the cost of a demonstration project to test the potential of farmed, selectively bred, native oysters. An evaluation of the project will measure the improvement of water quality and biodiversity, and the extent of an increased harvest to help Maryland meet its goal of increasing the oyster biomass tenfold by 2010 from a 1994 baseline.

South River Federation.

For continued support of the Riverkeeper Program. The purpose of the program is to ensure that appropriate laws are being enforced, water quality monitored and tested for dissolved oxygen and bacteria, and county and state advocacy laws strengthened. Through volunteers, the program will undertake restoration projects, including creating oyster reefs and living shorelines.

West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Inc.

For start-up costs for monitoring activities to clean up the West/Rhode River watershed by increasing the number of volunteers and expanding outreach activities. The riverkeeper will meet with state and local leaders to develop cooperative efforts, file complaints with state and county commissioners, testify on pollution issues, commission a study on the effectiveness of the Critical Area Act, and review approved variances.