This position supports the ability of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve – Maryland (CBNERR-MD) to plan for and implement habitat restoration and conservation projects proposed through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) as well as other funding mechanisms that advance community and habitat resilience and water quality improvement goals (e.g. the Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding programs). CBNERR-MD comprises three components with five landowners/partners and works across programs to address local site issues and state-level coastal management objectives. This position will support CBNERR-MD’s work to plan and implement restoration and conservation initiatives within the Reserve’s three targeted watersheds. Projects led by staff will advance the science of resilient restoration practices to ensure they are designed for maximum water quality and resilience benefits and extend the Reserve’s work monitoring some of the state’s Resiliency through Restoration Initiative projects to inform adaptive management.

This position will carry out work supporting three phases of resilience project development:
  • Understand: By looking across existing watershed and resilience plans and engaging with communities to learn their pressing concerns, staff will identify risk exposure, and identify a list of current and potential projects that would address risk and be eligible for IIJA and other funding opportunities. For projects already funded through Resiliency through Restoration or BIL, staff will support pre- and post-construction monitoring to understand project efficacy and advance the science to inform future project designs.
  • Plan: By working with a variety of Reserve and Coastal Management Program (CMP) partners within the Reserve’s three targeted watershed boundaries, staff will prioritize restoration and conservation projects, identify funding opportunities, and develop and submit proposals.
  • Implement: By managing IIJA funds, other funding opportunities, and partnerships, staff will implement and manage priority restoration and conservation projects and carry them through appraisal, design, permitting, and/or NEPA processes.