Congressman Harris Announces $1 Million Grant for Restoration

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) announced that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in conjunction with the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC), has been selected to receive $1 million in grant funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of their National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.

Funds from this grant will go towards multiple restoration projects on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, including the restoration of 50 acres of coastal wetlands and 21 acres of freshwater wetlands, the creation of one acre of oyster reef and 3.5 acres of intertidal coastal wetland, and permanent protection of 307 acres at CBEC and Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Congressman Harris made the following statement regarding the announcement:

“I am excited that the Fish and Wildlife Service has approved this grant funding for multiple restoration projects in the First District. These projects will further our mission of restoring the Chesapeake Bay for future generations. The restoration will provide important water quality benefits to the Chester River and the fish and wildlife that call it home. Having seen living shoreline projects first hand, I recognize the crucial role they play in mitigating the loss of critical ecological habitats. I am also pleased to hear that Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, which is a significant economic engine for Kent County, will benefit from this grant.”