Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Workgroup

The SAV Workgroup serves the broader Chesapeake Bay community by guiding managers on the protection and restoration of SAV. The workgroup carries out its mission by providing technical expertise and applying research findings to issues impacting SAV in the Bay.

Chesapeake Bay SAV Monitoring Effort

The Chesapeake Bay Program uses a three-tiered hierarchical monitoring approach for SAV. To learn more about the effort, visit our SAV Monitoring Program webpage.

Track progress toward the SAV Outcome‍

Projects

Protecting Chesapeake Bay Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Given Changing Hydrologic Conditions: Priority SAV Area Identification and Solutions Development

Complete

This project, conducted by Tetra Tech, evaluates how best management practices (BMPs) implemented across the Chesapeake Bay watershed influence the health of submerged aquatic vegetation—a vital habitat that supports water quality, stabilizes sediment and provides refuge for fish and invertebrates.

Modeling the Past to Predict the Future: Forecasting the Relative Role of Climate Change and Habitat Management on Chesapeake Bay SAV

Complete

This project modeled the impact of climate change on underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay SAV Restoration Manual and Outreach Materials

Complete

This project supported the development of a comprehensive resource for those interested in directly restoring submerged aquatic vegetation in the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Tributary Specific SAV Fact Sheets

Complete

This synthesis of multiple long-term datasets determined the influence of human populations on the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation and whether management actions implemented by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership have benefited SAV habitat.

SAV Regulatory Review

Complete

These resources include a regulatory review for submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and a database of relevant statutes, regulations and policies.

View all projects‍

Publications

2024-2025 SAV Outcome Management Strategy

Publication date: April 30, 2024

This management strategy outlines approaches for achieving the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement's SAV Outcome.

View document [PDF, 519.6 KB] 2024-2025 SAV Outcome Management Strategy

2024-2025 SAV Action Plan

Publication date: March 6, 2024

This two-year workplan was developed as part of the 2024 Strategy Review System cycle.

View document [PDF, 191.5 KB] 2024-2025 SAV Action Plan

2024-2025 SAV Outcome Review Document

Publication date: February 25, 2025

This document summarizes the status of the SAV Outcome, highlights achievements and challenges from the past two years, and offers recommendations for future efforts.

View document [PDF, 299.6 KB] 2024-2025 SAV Outcome Review Document

Chesapeake Bay SAV: A Third Technical Synthesis

Publication date: December 31, 2016

The third Chesapeake Bay SAV technical synthesis reviews advancements in our knowledge and understanding of submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, ecosystem dynamics as they relate to SAV habitat requirements, but also genetics, the effects of land-use and shoreline alterations on SAV, climate change impacts and ecosystem services and their potential monetary value.

View document [PDF, 2.7 MB] Chesapeake Bay SAV: A Third Technical Synthesis

Chesapeake Bay SAV: A Second Technical Synthesis

Publication date: August 1, 2000

The second Chesapeake Bay SAV technical synthesis provides an integrated approach for defining and testing the suitability of shallow water habitats in terms of the minimum light requirements for the survival of submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV.

View document [PDF, 9.8 MB] Chesapeake Bay SAV: A Second Technical Synthesis

View all publications‍

Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes

Vital Habitats Goal

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)

Our Members

Brooke Landry (Chair)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Brooke.Landry@maryland.gov
Hadijah (Dede) Lawal (Staffer)
Chesapeake Research Consortium lawal.dede@epa.gov
Rebecca Golden
ShoreRivers bgolden@shorerivers.org
Chris Adriance
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment Christopher.adriance@dc.gov
Kayla Clauson
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Kayla.Clauson@delaware.gov
Bill Dennison
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science dennison@umces.edu
Katia Engelhardt
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science engelhardt@al.umces.edu
Megan Fitzgerald
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fitzgerald.megan@epa.gov
Carl Friedrichs
Virginia Institute of Marine Science carl.friedrichs@vims.edu
Cassie Gurbisz
St. Mary's College of Maryland cbgurbisz@smcm.edu
Alyson Hall
Virginia Institute of Marine Science achall@vims.edu
Lora Harris
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science harris@cbl.umces.edu
Victoria Hill
Old Dominion University vhill@odu.edu
Jessie Jarvis
University of North Carolina jessiecjarvis@gmail.com
Cindy Johnson
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality csjohnson@deq.virginia.gov
Mike Johnson
Virginia Marine Resources Commission mike.johnson@mrc.virginia.gov
Jonathan Lefcheck
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center jlefcheck@umces.edu
Mark Lewandowski
Maryland Department of Natural Resources mlewandowski@dnr.state.md.us
Mark Luckenbach
Virginia Institute of Marine Science luck@vims.edu
Peter McGowan
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) peter_c_mcgowan@fws.gov
Ken Moore
Virginia Institute of Marine Science moore@vims.edu
Bob Murphy
Tetra Tech Bob.Murphy@tetratech.com
Mike Naylor
Maryland Department of Natural Resources mike.naylor@maryland.gov
Maile Neel
University of Maryland mneel@umd.edu
Magdalene Ngeve
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science mngeve@umces.edu
Mike Norman
Anne Arundel Community College cmnorman@aacc.edu
David O'Brien
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) David.L.O'Brien@noaa.gov
Chris Patrick
Virginia Institute of Marine Science cpatrick@vims.edu
Erin Reilly
Virginia Institute of Marine Science emreilly@vims.edu
Tish Robertson
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality tlrobertson@deq.virginia.gov
Nancy Rybicki
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) nrybicki@usgs.gov
Amanda Shaver
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality amanda.shaver@deq.virginia.gov
Erin Shields
Virginia Institute of Marine Science eshields@vims.edu
Kelly Somers
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Somers.Kelly@epa.gov
Lorie Staver
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science lstaver@umces.edu
Becky Swerida
Maryland Department of Natural Resources rebecca.swerida@maryland.gov
Peter Tango
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ptango@chesapeakebay.net
Jonathan Watson
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jonathan.watson@noaa.gov
Don Weller
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center wellerd@si.edu
Dave Wilcox
Virginia Institute of Marine Science dwilcox@vims.edu
Richard Zimmerman
Old Dominion University rzimmerman@odu.edu
Kaitlin Scowen
Maryland Department of Natural Resources kaitlin.scowen@maryland.gov
Erika Koontz
Maryland Department of Natural Resources erika.koontz@maryland.gov
Bill Morgante
Maryland Board of Public Works bill.morgante@maryland.gov
Cathy Wazniak
Maryland Department of Natural Resources cwazniak@dnr.state.md.us
Chris Jones
George Mason University christopherm.jones@maryland.gov
Julie Luecke
Chesapeake Bay Foundation jluecke@cbf.org
Jeff Coogan
Coastal Monitoring Alliance jcoogan@coastalmonitoringalliance.com
Jeni Keisman
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) jkeisman@usgs.gov
Judy O'Neil
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science joneil@umces.edu
Lesley Baggett
AKRF lbaggett@akrf.com
Riley Kuehn
Arundel Rivers Federation riley@arundelrivers.org
Stephanie Hall
Maryland Department of Natural Resources stephanie.hall2@maryland.gov
Susan Lamont
Anne Arundel Community College srlamont@aacc.edu
Joe Morina
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Joseph.Morina@deq.virginia.gov
Anthony Timpano
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Anthony.Timpano@deq.virginia.gov
Woody Francis
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) woody.francis@nab02.usace.army.mil
Zack Hoisington
Annapolis Maritime Museum zhoisington@amaritime.org
Matt Robinson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) robinson.matthew@epa.gov