Environment

CSX Joins Forces with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Restore Chesapeake Bay

Sep 6, 2016 3:00 PM ET
Campaign: Local Motive

The Chesapeake Bay watershed extends more than 64,000 miles across six different states and the District of Columbia with thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and is home to hundreds of species.

In an effort to improve water quality and habitat in the Bay, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) joined forces with public and private partners, including CSX, to create the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, which awards grants for restoration, conservation and environmental outreach.  

By supporting NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, CSX and other supporters can accomplish bigger projects by leveraging group funding and matching opportunities. This year, the Fund announced grants for 39 projects, leveraging more than $12 million in matching funds from the participants for a total of $23 million.

Some examples of this year’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund recipients include:

  • The Elizabeth River Project, which will accelerate nutrient and sediment reductions for the Lafayette branch of the bay in Virginia and lead a regional-scale partnership to restore the Eastern Branch, frequently called “the lost branch.”
  • The City of Charles Town in West Virginia, which aims to protect water quality, restore the aquatic ecosystem, and create a park and recreational area along Evitts Run Creek through a series of innovative green infrastructure and low impact development facilities.
  • The National Wildlife Federation, which plans to install a large-scale demonstration schoolyard habitat at Green Street Academy in Southwest Baltimore, Maryland, an area that has been historically challenged with stormwater issues.