Please join us on Thursday, May 9th at noon for a NFWF Project Spotlight, “Partnerships in Oyster Restoration​.”

 

Join NFWF and specialists from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Lynnhaven River Now who will share lessons learned from grant projects aimed at oyster restoration and engaging various partners in those projects, having worked with local and tidal area partners. The discussion will bring to light similarities and differences in project challenges and lessons learned in different oyster tributaries, as well as an upcoming future oyster restoration partnership between the two organizations in the western branch of the Lynnhaven.

While oyster restoration is a narrow and specific practice in the larger scale of the Bay, this project spotlight provides a unique opportunity for ​organizations throughout the Bay watershed to learn about oyster restoration in tidal water! Additionally, with partnership being such an integral part to all types of project, we encourage participants to attend from all areas of the watershed and all sectors.

 

The projects being spotlighted are:

  • ​​“Oyster Restoration Innovation and Nitrogen Removal Analysis (VA)” with Lynnhaven River Now, supported by US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program’s Small Watershed Grants Program. This project fo​cused on two forward-thinking advances in oyster reef restoration in the Lynnhaven River: an alternative substrate reef and a nitrogen removal analysis for oyster reefs.
  • “Eastern Oyster Restoration in the Lafayette River (VA)” with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, supported by US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program’s Small Watershed Grants Program. This project is establishing 3.25 acres of new oyster reef in the Lafayette River, a tributary of the larger Elizabeth River system, in Norfolk, Virginia, enhance the population of native Eastern oysters in the Lafayette River and engage the watershed community in oyster restoration projects.
  • And two 2018 Small Watershed Grant awards, one to LRN and one to CBF, focused on restoration in the western branch of the Lynnhaven River. The partnership between LRN and CBF is a key aspect of the restoration and the growth of both organization’s efforts.

The presentation will be held as a webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2294766927395638540​

Hope to see you there! Please forward on to any partners you think would be interested in learning more about oyster restoration and partnership.

 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Project Spotlight series is an effort to share lessons learned, challenges and opportunities in implementation through discussions with grantees who have recently completed a grant project. Grantees with expertise in a common topic join together to reflect on their experiences and answer audience questions.

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has a long‐standing partnership, through a cooperative agreement, with the National Fish and Wildlife (NFWF) to provide direct financial support to accomplish both:

‐ The Small Watershed Grant (SWG) program that promotes community‐based efforts to develop conservation strategies to protect and restore the diverse natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay.

‐ The Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) grant program that support efforts with the Chesapeake Bay watershed to accelerate nutrient and sediment reductions with innovative, sustainable, and cost‐effective approaches.