The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Office announced $44 million in grants to help restore the Chesapeake Bay on Feb. 11.
The funds were awarded through the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant program and the Small Watershed Grants program, which are administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Overall, the funds for the two programs will restore 290 acres of wetland and harsh habitat, build 45 miles of fencing to keep livestock out of streams and create 75 miles of forest buffers. The funds will also reduce the annual load of nutrient pollution to waterways by almost 80 million pounds.
Among grant the recipients was Ducks Unlimited, which received about $1.1 million to restore 200 acres of wetlands and 70 acres of tree buffers in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
Trout Unlimited will use more than $900,000 to improve brook trout habitat in New York's upper Susquehanna River region and central Pennsylvania. The two projects will open about 10 miles of upstream habitat.
The Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation obtained a $25,000 grant to train 2,000 Maryland students in conservation literacy by demonstrating conservation practices on 131 acres of farmland.
The Watershed Alliance of York received almost $850,000 to add 100 acres of forest buffers and boost freshwater mussel conservation in York County, PA.