The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that it has recommended awarding $10 million to fund new reef construction for a Maryland Department of Natural Resources oyster sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay. The four-year grant will provide infrastructure funding for building reef bases on about 50 to 75 acres within an existing oyster sanctuary, as well as ground-truthing to assess the area before construction. NOAA awarded the funding as part of its Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. “This is an exciting time for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said. “Just as we’re finishing the tributary phase of sanctuary construction and seeding, this $10 million award will help us with future oyster restoration throughout Maryland.” The construction will be part of a new project at one of several proposed sanctuaries. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources identified several possible sites, which will be presented at the August 19 meeting of the Oyster Advisory Commission to receive stakeholder feedback on the sites. The grant comes as the Chesapeake Bay Program’s 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement hits its 10th anniversary. The agreement outlined […]
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