The Chesapeake Bay Initiative, a 10-year, multi-million dollar partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Ducks Unlimited (DU), has just received a Special Recognition Award of Outstanding Wetland Partnerships from Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, under the Governor’s Reward for Excellence in Environmental Nurturing (GREEN) awards program.

The award recognizes restoration of more than 400 acres of wetlands by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative in Maryland during 1998. The Initiative completed projects on private lands in Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. Cost-share funds for the projects came from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Partners for Wildlife Program of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and CBF/DU’s Habitat Stewardship Program.

"This award serves as a testimony to the hard work of our members, volunteers, staff, and conservation partners in restoring wetlands and water quality in Maryland and the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed," said Ed Temple, Chesapeake Bay Initiative coordinator, who is based at CBF’s Maryland Office in Annapolis.

The Chesapeake Bay Initiative restores and protects wetlands, stream buffers, and wildlife habitat in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Working directly with private landowners and cooperating with a diverse coalition of government agencies and other private organizations, CBF and DU have embarked on a massive initiative to restore wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and enhance people’s quality of life throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The vision of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative is to see a watershed with an additional 125,000 acres of wetlands and 1,500 more miles of streamside buffers by the year 2005.