Grant Funding Available for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts - Grant Funding Available for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Effortsby Johanna Laderman - American Sportfishing Association

March 23, 2006, Alexandria, VA�The FishAmerica Foundation, in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, is accepting proposals for community-based, fisheries habitat restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of Maryland with up to $100,000 in funding available for fiscal year 2006.Organizations involved with restoration programs for the Chesapeake Bay watershed are asked to submit proposals by June 2, 2006.Grants will be awarded in September 2006. Eligible projects include wetlands creation, riparian and aquatic vegetation restoration, streambank stabilizationand fish passage improvement.

In 2002, the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation and research arm of the American Sportfishing Association, united with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a private, non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, in a four-year agreement that dedicates $100,000 annually to restore fish and habitat, improve water quality, and enhance fish stocks in this ecologically critical bay and its tributary rivers in Maryland.

Both organizations share the common mission to empower citizen conservationists to revive some of the nation’s most prized fisheries and valuable waterways. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s most recent survey, nearly 370,000 resident and non-resident anglers fished a total of 3.1 million days on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and represent over $414 million in economic impact.

"The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries represent one of this country’s largest national treasures as well as a pivotal fisheries resource," said Mike Nussman, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. "Through this partnership, efforts to restore the Bay have begun to take hold and we are encouraging folks involved in conservation efforts to take advantage of this valuable resource."

In 2004 and 2005, the partnership funded eight projects, valued at over $148,300, for fisheries conservation projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to Maryland-based organizations. The 2004 completed projects have achieved outstanding results with more than 1,100 volunteers planting 11 acres of wetlands and riparian areas along Bay tributaries as well as the creation of six acres of artificial and oyster reef fish habitat in the Bay proper. The 2005 projects included volunteers planting native vegetation and installing livestock exclusion fencing along two miles of shoreline in the upper Potomac River watershed in Allegany County, Md.; planting native vegetation along 200 feet of shoreline in the George’s Creek watershed in Allegany County, Md.; and planting underwater grasses along Back Creek in Annapolis, Md.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust
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 the conservation and research foundation of the American Sportfishing Association. FishAmerica unites the sportfishing industry with conservation groups, government agencies, fishing tournaments, corporations and charitable foundations, investing in fisheries conservation and research across the country. FishAmerica provides matching grants that empower citizen conservationists in their own communities. Since 1983, FishAmerica has provided more than $8 million for more than 800 fisheries conservation and research projects nationwide.