The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $8.9 million in Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense grants, which support conservation efforts around the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The supported programs cover work in wetlands, grasslands, forests and more.
As Virginia grasslands have declined over the past 50-100 years, birds like the eastern meadowlark, savannah sparrow and bobolink have declined along with them.
“Where there used to be four of them, you know, lined up on a fence, there's now one,” said Justin Proctor, of Virginia Working Landscapes.
VWL is a program of the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, which conducts research and outreach on regenerative agriculture in 16 Northern Virginia counties. Proctor coordinates the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, a collaboration among the Smithsonian and nonprofits Quail Forever, American Farmland Trust and the Piedmont Environmental Council.
Most land in Virginia is privately owned, and most of that is considered working land — meaning it's used to farm, grow lumber, raise livestock and more.
“So, when we think about trying to actually make conservation momentum, private landscapes become a huge part of the equation,” Proctor said.
The existence of a farm doesn’t prevent that land from serving a purpose in its ecosystem. Many farmers already maintain grasslands for grazing or harvesting — and with a few management tweaks, Proctor said, they can serve the needs of native birds and other species.
“The success of these birds to successfully nest out there or to forage is a really good indicator that the management you have underway is working to create a functional, healthy grassland ecosystem again,” Proctor said.
Functional grasslands benefit more than just birds. They can improve soil health and reduce the amount of agricultural runoff reaching waterways that drain into the Chesapeake Bay — a major contributor to overall Bay pollution.
VWL works with landowners to encourage better grassland management practices — including delaying hay harvests until after spring nesting season and raising the blades on harvesting machines to avoid low-lying nests.
VWL received $500,000 from a Chesapeake WILD grant to cover staff and program costs with the hopes of reaching more farmers and landowners.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation granted about $2 million for Virginia conservation work, including:
- $500,000 to NDPonics to permanently conserve indigenous-owned wetlands and forest and reconnect 2.5 miles of brook trout stream in Rockbridge County;
- $500,000 to Chesapeake Conservancy to protect lands in the Dragon Run watershed;
- $364,400 to Mariners’ Museum and Park for invasive species management and community education on enhancing habitat for endangered bird species;
- $75,000 to Northern Neck Land Conservancy to identify and protect more private lands along the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers
The rest of the $8.9 million in grants is going to programs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and New York — all within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Chesapeake WILD is funded by federal tax dollars and private donations.
