In 2011, 0.02 acres of bay grasses were planted, bringing the total to 170 acres.
Download Analysis & Methods (54.5 KB) 
Date created: May 11 2012 / Download
In 2003, the CBP adopted the Strategy to Accelerate the Protection and Restoration of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay including a commitment to plant 1,000 acres by 2008. The program partners have thus far planted 17% of their initial goal. In 2011, 0.02 acres were planted. Both funding for SAV planting, and capacity for doing it, will need to be increased dramatically to meet the goal on time.
Download Analysis & Methods (54.5 KB) What are bay grasses and why are they important? Lee Karrh of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources takes us on the Chesapeake Bay to see some submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) firsthand in this Bay 101 video.
Produced by Matt Rath
Music: “A Moment of Jazz” by Ancelin
Bay grasses, or SAV, need clean, clear water to grow and naturally expand. For this reason, efforts to reduce water pollution have a positive influence on restoring bay grasses.
In addition to reducing pollution, some Bay Program partners collect seeds and plant bay grasses in the Bay and its rivers. These plantings are located in areas without bay grasses but where water quality should support growth.
In 2003, Bay Program partners set a goal to plant 1,000 acres of bay grasses by 2008. This goal is part of a strategy to accelerate bay grass restoration and protection in areas of critical importance to the Bay’s wildlife and aquatic life.
Amount completed since 2003 (baseline year)
Tracking started in 2003; little or no large-scale restoration was done before that year. Total to date is 169.51 acres.
Amount completed in 2011
About 0.02 acres were planted in FY 2011.
The effort to plant bay grasses has had mixed success in recent years. Managers continue to evaluate the best and most cost-effective methods for planting bay grasses.
Both funding and capacity for bay grass planting need to be increased dramatically to meet the 1,000-acre goal. To date, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have funded almost all of the large-scale planting. Neither agency has been able to increase the funding enough to meet the annual need.
Jennifer Greiner
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
(410) 267-5783
