Maryland’s Severn River is set to get a major financial boost from a national grant and private funding totaling just over $1 million to help its oyster restoration efforts.
The funding comes from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Department of Defense (DOD).
The large-scale, community-led initiative is set to kick off in early 2024, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, thanks to this coastal resiliency grant. The effort, called “Readiness and Resilience: Oyster Restoration in the Severn River,” plans to restore six acres of oyster reefs and plant 30 million spat on shell oysters. This will benefit Annapolis-area communities, including the U.S. Naval Academy, which are vulnerable to nuisance flooding and sea level rise.
Spat refers to oyster larvae that permanently attach to a surface, such as other oyster shells. After several generations of spat grow into adult oysters, they form dense clusters known as oyster reefs.
“Oyster reefs act as natural buffers, reducing wave energy, storm surge, and coastal flooding. The oyster reefs restored by this project will support natural coastal defenses in the Severn River, where more than 97 percent of oyster reefs have been lost due to overharvesting, disease, and loss of habitat,” reads the press release announcing the grant.
The initiative will be implemented by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Severn River Association (SRA), U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSAA), and will build off CBF and others’ long history of oyster restoration in the Severn River.
The $843,400 grant will be matched with $244,000 in private funding raised by CBF, totaling $1,087,500 towards the project.
“The Annapolis area is experiencing the effects of climate change at an alarming rate. These communities, including the Naval Academy, rely on oysters and a healthy and resilient Severn River to mitigate those challenges,” said Allison Colden, Maryland’s executive director of CBF. “Chesapeake Bay tributaries have national significance, and this investment from NFWF and DOD proves that.”
There has been a 925% increase in annual nuisance flooding events in Annapolis over the last 50 years, which is the greatest increase recorded for any city in the United States. Since 1929, relative sea level in Annapolis has risen more than 1.06 feet, making city and Naval Academy infrastructure vulnerable to major storms. As an example, in 2003, Hurricane Isabel caused more than $120 million in damage to the Academy, according to a 2019 report.
“NSA Annapolis (NSAA) and the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) rely on the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay to accomplish the mission of training the Navy’s future leaders,” said Captain Chris Schwarz, Commanding Officer of NSA Annapolis. “Mission readiness and installation resilience at both NSAA and USNA will benefit from the habitat, water quality, and recreational improvements produced by this project.”
The partners involved in this initiative plan to engage 35 volunteer oyster gardeners per year, recycle 1,000 bushels of oyster shells, and use internships to train six early career environmental professionals.
“The Severn River Association is pleased to partner with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on this oyster restoration project, which will increase aquatic habitat and filter water in the Severn, while simultaneously providing critical climate resilience for the U.S. Naval Academy,” said Jesse Iliff, executive director of SRA. “The Naval Academy has minted generations of the finest naval officers in the world dedicated to protecting our nation. It is SRA’s great privilege and honor to work with the Bay Foundation now to return the favor and help protect the Academy from the impacts of climate change.”
