Shoreline erosion, exacerbated by military operations at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, has and continues to threaten
installation facilities, impact marine habitats, and allow sediment to flow into the Chesapeake Bay. To address these
issues, the Navy sought partners who were committed to restoring the Chesapeake Bay, as well as meeting Navy facility
and infrastructure needs. Under a
Sikes Act Cooperative Agreement, the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team was formed with partners from the Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, Washington, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and
Development Board, St. Mary's Soil Conservation District, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Alliance for Chesapeake
Bay, Chesapeake Biological Lab, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Each group
brought its unique expertise in shoreline design, habitat restoration, and other aspects of Chesapeake Bay ecology to
the table, thereby reducing costs, while advancing partner goals.
Examples of partnership activities and successes include training volunteers by the National Aquarium and Aquarium Conservation
Team to stabilize over 3,500 feet of shoreline, create 1.5 acres of wetlands, plant 5,000 submerged aquatic plants, install
two oyster reefs, and plant 30,500 units of marsh grass. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay obtained additional funding
to complete submerged vegetation planting and develop artificial oyster reefs using more than 100,000 oyster spat, provided
by the Oyster Recovery Partnership. By utilizing the Sikes Cooperative Agreement, in conjunction with an informal process
that allowed for open communication and sharing common goals, the Navy estimates it saved 22 percent in project costs.1
1 Cooperative Conservation America.
Shoreline Stabilization in Chesapeake Bay Area.
