Watershed Agreement Helps Protect Nation’s Largest Estuary
by Johanna DeGroff
Annapolis, MD—The Chesapeake Bay Trust and the FishAmerica Foundation announced a new partnership today that will further efforts to revive some of our nation’s most prized fisheries and valuable waterways. The two organizations share the common mission to empower citizen conservationists.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust, a private, non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, united with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation and research arm of the American Sportfishing Association, in a four-year agreement that dedicates $100,000 annually to restore fish and habitat, improve water quality, and enhance fish stocks in this nationally renowned bay and its tributary rivers in Maryland.
"This partnership is an obvious fit for our two organizations," noted Martin Poretsky, Chairman of Board for the Chesapeake Bay Trust. "With our shared objectives and our broad constituencies, this new agreement between the Trust and FishAmerica will substantially increase funding for on-the-ground projects that help the Bay and its fisheries."
"As a long-time resident of the Chesapeake Bay area, I can personally attest to its value to millions of people and how important it is that we find innovative ways to protect it," said Mike Nussman, President and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. "Linking up with the Chesapeake Bay Trust is going to give us wonderful new avenues for keeping the Bay healthy."
The FishAmerica Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust agreed to award matching grants for projects that create wetlands, restore riparian areas and aquatic vegetation, stabilize streambanks, enhance oyster and artificial reefs, and improve fish migration routes.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a private, non-profit organization created in 1985 by the Maryland General Assembly to promote public awareness and participation in projects that benefit the Chesapeake Bay and its Maryland tributaries. The Trust is supported by sales of the Maryland "Treasure the Chesapeake" license plate, voluntary contributions through the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund check-off on the Maryland state income tax return, and other private donations. The Trust has granted more than $12 million to nearly 2,500 community organizations and schools throughout Maryland for projects that restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay.
The FishAmerica Foundation is a non-profit organization created in 1983, providing nearly $1 million in annual grant funding for community conservation projects that enhance fisheries and fishing opportunities. Through its innovative partnerships with the sportfishing and boating industry, private citizens, foundations, and government agencies, the FishAmerica Foundation has granted more than $5 million for more than 600 grassroots projects.
