Virginia

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Developing an Integrated Community-based Monitoring Approach to Track Restoration (DC, MD, PA, VA)
Leverage relationships with local, county, state and federal agencies, community partners and restoration experts to ensure that the monitoring plan developed meets diverse needs. Project will complete research on existing restoration monitoring protocols and engagement of diverse stakeholders, conduct development of a comprehensive community-based restoration study design, and develop protocol testing and data generation at two to four restoration sites at varying stages of installation.
$230,279

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Expanding the Woodland Stewardship Network Program in the Blue Ridge (VA)
Expand the Woodland Stewardship Network into the Blue Ridge geography of Virginia by building at least two additional networks of private landowners with forest management plans that will improve management on privately owned, non-industrial forestland. Project will create management plans for 1,000 acres of  forest and improve management of 150 acres to benefit golden-winged and cerulean warblers.
$50,000

Canaan Valley Institute
Restoration of Aquatic Connectivity and Riparian Corridor Habitat Enhancement (VA)
Restore aquatic connectivity and reduce sedimentation through riparian corridor enhancement to benefit the hellbender, freshwater mussels and fish in the Upper Tennessee River Basin in southwestern Virginia. Project will remove one fish passage barrier, open 5 miles of stream, construct 2 miles of livestock exclusion fencing, restore 3 miles of riparian forest buffer, establish 10 hellbender nest sites, and utilize environmental DNA sampling.
$155,588

Capital Region Land Conservancy
Preserving Open Space and Protecting Vulnerable Habitat (VA)
Develop a strategy for the city of Richmond to identify and protect additional lands that improve the health and function of tributaries, improve habitat and establish wildlife corridors, while also creating public access.  Project will include significant community outreach and engagement to improve public participation in the location and design of habitat restoration, and outcomes will include one implementation plan that includes prioritization of 10 parcels.
$50,000

Chesapeake Bay Commission
Lessons Learned from Decades of Experiences of the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership (multiple states)
Draft and publish peer-reviewed literature summarizing the core set of lessons learned through the work of the Chesapeake Bay restoration partnership which are applicable to other watershed-based/partnership-based restoration efforts. Project will share the key lessons learned during the multi-decade, partnership-based, Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, and will result in a multi-media series of “lessons learned” products.
$25,316

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Bringing the Lynnhaven River Oyster Population to Restored Status (VA)
Deliver a comprehensive oyster restoration project in the Lynnhaven River that will enhance the population of native eastern oysters and engage the watershed community on oyster restoration projects. Project will establish 7 acres of new oyster reef and place 15 million young oysters within the river, which are estimated to remove 335 pounds of nitrogen and 67 pounds of phosphorus from the Lynnhaven River.
$490,372

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Greening Southside Richmond (VA)
Improve water quality in Little Westham, Almond, Proctors, and Falling creeks located in Southside Richmond, Virginia by reducing impervious surfaces and managed turf, planting 250 trees on municipal property, and installing green infrastructure projects to retain and treat polluted runoff. Project will work with Richmond’s Office of Sustainability to identify areas where green infrastructure projects are most needed to reduce heat stress and improve health outcomes for communities.
$227,467

Chesapeake Bay Trust
Chesapeake Bay Trust Regional Capacity Building Initiative (DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
Build collaborative and organizational capacity of regional entities and organizations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed working together to accelerate watershed restoration through tailored assessment. Project will heighten capacity of groups to advance clean water plans, increase communication, coordination and collaboration among partners within and across priority regions within the watershed, and increase power of the grassroots movement for sustained environmental and clean water protections.
$1,500,000

Chesapeake Stormwater Network
Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Training and Engagement in Urban Watersheds (multiple states)
Focus stormwater training and engagement efforts on four critical and vulnerable target populations in the Bay watershed to accelerate the pace of local nutrient reduction and promote more widespread implementation of effective stormwater and restoration practices across the watershed.
$325,000

City of Hopewell, Virginia
Hopewell Stormwater Green Infrastructure (VA)
Implement a stormwater green infrastructure project, including the stabilization of three storm drain outfall channels that convey stormwater down the highly erodible escarpment between the developed areas of the city and the James and Appomattox river floodplains. Project will provide a significant reduction in stormwater pollutant load to the Appomattox River, specifically two outfalls located in the Ashton Creek-Appomattox River Priority Subwatershed.
$500,000

City of Hopewell, Virginia
Outfall and Gully Stabilization Project Design and Regional Pollutant Reduction Calculator (VA)
Restore three severely eroding stormwater outfalls in the City of Hopewell, Virginia and develop standard design guidance and a pollutant reduction calculator to assist regional adoption of the newly approved Chesapeake Bay Program’s Guidance for crediting Outfall and Gully Stabilization Projects. Project will improve the water quality of local impaired waters and the Appomattox River and create a planning tool for evaluating and design that will be distributed to regional partners.
$34,100

City of Petersburg
Fleets Branch Stream Restoration (VA)
Implement a shovel-ready, cost effective stream restoration project. Project will complete phase two of a 2,027-linear-foot restoration of Fleets Branch that has already been designed, the first half of which is presently under construction.
$500,000

College of William and Mary
Conserving Whimbrel Across the Western Atlantic Flyway (multiple states, Canada)
Expand on efforts to monitor declining whimbrel populations along the western Atlantic Flyway. Project will update the whimbrel conservation plan with whimbrel working group input, develop an index of reproductive performance and engage partners to establish a monitoring network, expand roost surveys during spring migration to improve protection at key sites, continue building an online shorebird roost registry, and make managers aware of roost locations to facilitate their protection.
$99,374

College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Analyzing Impacts of Poultry Litter on Water Quality on Eastern Shore Freshwater Streams (VA)
Investigate and expand freshwater stream assessments on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, specifically Chesapeake Bay drainages in Accomack and Northampton counties. Project will examine freshwater stream nutrient levels to identify water quality impairments from poultry operations via stormwater runoff using estimates of land cover in the drainage areas, including variables such as the presence and distance of poultry operations, agricultural fields, residential housing, forest and swamps.
$49,310

College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Test and Implement Commercial Grade Biodegradable Hinges on Dungeness Crab Traps (AK, VA, WA)
Employ commercial-grade biodegradable hinges on Dungeness crab traps to minimize adverse impacts when the traps become derelict. Project will test the durability of the hinges in both the active fishery utilizing watermen and in a simulated derelict trap mode to ensure the function as needed to be functional for fishermen and protect marine ecosystems.
$130,579

College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Using Mobile Applications to Turn Recreational Anglers into Community Scientists (MD, VA)
Understand the success of the “eBird” application and explore how that approach could be adapted to engaging recreational anglers in community science. Project will determine the priorities and concerns recreational fishermen, fisheries managers, and fisheries scientists have regarding mobile applications, and use this input to begin developing an “eFish” application for community science.
$43,374

Daniel Hall
2020 Guy Bradley Award - State Winner
$2,500 was awarded to the 2020 Guy Bradley Award state level recipient, Sergeant Daniel Hall from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
$2,500

Delmarva Poultry Industry
Poultry Litter Matching Service for a Cleaner Bay and Healthy Farms (DE, MD, VA)
Develop an online poultry litter matching tool to connect producers with excess litter to improve crop growth and soil health. Project will support the implementation of Maryland’s Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) and Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plans across Delmarva, thereby helping to meet regional water quality and healthy watershed goals.
$49,890

Elizabeth River Project
Restoring Two Key Tributaries in the Elizabeth River (VA)
Work with Norfolk, three universities and citizens and businesses to restore urban water quality, oysters and wetlands in two key tributaries to the Elizabeth River. Project will achieve a subwatershed management plan for Knitting Mill Creek and construction of catalyst projects, including a living shoreline, oyster reef, rain gardens and other green infrastructure to be open to the public at a new Resilience Learning Park.
$499,168

Hampton Roads Planning District
Retrofitting Businesses and Industrial Properties (VA)
Identify large-scale private  industrial and business sites willing to improve water quality and provide flood protection with green infrastructure and  implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Project will identify 10-12 business or industries that will implement BMPs in the private sector, 2) develop a list of design concepts, budgets, and funding solutions for future implementation, and 3) identify barriers and provide incentives for reporting nutrient credits for the Bay total maximum daily load.
$50,000

Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District
Demonstrating Sustainable Farm Operations at the Augusta County Correctional Center (VA)
Install 5 miles of stream fencing, improve 350 acres of livestock pasture management, and establish 35 acres of grass buffers and 16 acres of forest buffers on an agriculture operation at the Augusta County Correctional Center. Project will improve sustainability of the farm operation and advance measurable progress toward Virginia’s Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan.
$238,024

James River Association
Reconnecting Fish Migratory Pathways (VA)
Facilitate the removal and replacement of a culvert on Flowerdew Hundred creek in the James River watershed that acts as a critical barrier to fish passage. Project will target American Shad and river herring and achieve the outcome of restoring aquatic connectivity for these native anadromous fish.
$70,000

James River Association
Water Quality Improvements through a Living Shoreline Collaborative (VA)
Combat erosion and adapt to changing shorelines through accelerated living shorelines implementation. Project will develop and deliver a living shoreline training program to increase technical capacity, formalize an existing partnership in the lower James River, increase the capacity of partners, and bring in partners from outside of the watershed to expand the network of knowledge to build on existing efforts.
$1,000,000

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Glen Stream Restoration (VA)
Improve 550 feet of stream through use of vegetation that will increase plant, soil and water interaction, leveraging natural ability to absorb the particulate matter and excess nutrients that flow from the man-made landscape. Project will restore natural drainage patterns and water table levels, and the project will offer educational experiences for more than 450,000 visitors a year.
$94,154

Lynnhaven River Now
Restoration of the Eastern Oyster in the Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River (VA)
Restore oyster reefs in the Eastern Branch of the Lynnhaven River in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Project will remove approximately 1,626 pounds of nitrogen a year through denitrification and 2,541 pounds of nitrogen storage in the shells and bodies of oysters and reef fauna, an additional 60 acres reef habitat target in the Lynnhaven, resulting in removal of 32,520 pounds of nitrogen a year through denitrification and 50,820 pounds of nitrogen storage.
$500,000

Manomet
Coordinating American Oystercatcher Recovery on the Atlantic Coast (multiple states)
Provide coordination of the American oystercatcher recovery initiative and actionable change based on lessons learned from 2009-2019 and reduce the impact of predators and human disturbance on populations of breeding shorebirds along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Project will contribute substantially to the goals of the Atlantic Flyway Business Plan.
$79,999

Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission
Creating Coastal Resiliency through Living Shoreline Strategies (VA)
Assist homeowners in Mathews County through the Fight the Flood program to design, permit, install and monitor living shorelines that meet Federal Emergency Management Agency storm event standards. Project will survey locations for living shorelines in targeted locations on the East River and the North River.
$219,410

National Wildlife Federation
Developing Capacity Building Framework within the Chesapeake Bay Community (multiple states)
Address gaps in capacity within the Chesapeake Bay community through a partnership with the Choose Clean Water Coalition and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with the objective to research, analyze and develop a capacity building framework. Project will target an audience of capacity builders and the NGO community with missions that include improving the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
$421,147

Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission
Urban Green Stormwater Infrastructure Implementation (VA)
Install three urban stormwater green infrastructure projects at or adjacent to two schools in Fauquier County, and use to conduct outreach and education in the school district. Project will improve participation in the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program in Fauquier County by providing program outreach and cost-share matching funds for a minimum of five BMP projects, and develop a GIS-based prioritization to guide future implementation in the Rappahannock-Rapidan Region.
$301,227

The Nature Conservancy
Assessing and Mitigating American Oystercatcher Predation Impacts (VA)
Identify causes of chick loss to inform existing predator management activities at critical nesting sites for American oystercatcher on the Atlantic coast of Virginia. Project will increase oystercatcher reproductive output and help avoid population reversal in the most important American oystercatcher breeding area in the flyway.
$29,992

The Nature Conservancy
Building Oyster Reefs and Enhanced Saltmarsh Habitat in Wachapreague (VA)
Build and monitor oyster reefs with two types of oyster substrate adjacent to an eroding salt marsh to enhance and protect the seaside town of Wachapreague, VA.  Project will further engage the town of Wachapreague and similar communities protected by the Virginia coastal bay system in nature-based solutions to increase resilience in this vulnerable area as well as benefit people and wildlife.
$804,878

The Nature Conservancy
Identifying, Prioritizing, and Incentivizing Marsh Management Actions in the Chesapeake Bay (MD, VA)
Develop a marsh management action decision support tool and resilience credit targeting parameters, plus streamline and enhance the effectiveness of marsh management actions and make funding opportunities more accessible for tidal marsh conservation practitioners throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Project will evaluate the climatic and human pressures that are degrading tidal marsh habitats within a holistic context that weighs inputs, actions, and outcomes to determine best management practices.
$49,699

The Nature Conservancy
Propagating and Restoring Native Freshwater Mussel Species in the Upper Clinch River (VA)
Restore populations of three native freshwater mussels species by propagating them, raising them to a suitable size for release into the wild and introducing them into suitable historic habitat in the Virginia portion of the Clinch River in southwestern Virginia. Project will release 100,000 native mussels considered ecosystem engineers that are currently under-represented in the river, with the goal of raising overall mussel assemblage densities beyond 10 mussels per square meter.
$199,787

The Potomac Conservancy
Growing Native Tree Initiative (MD, VA)
Connect disparate native tree planting efforts in the Potomac Watershed and build a network of volunteers increasing the number of native seeds collected and market existing native tree planting opportunities. Project will convene the coalition, build a website that will consolidates community engagement opportunities, and expand seed collection drop off sites, nursery sites, and community-led seed events.
$47,518

Trout Unlimited
Sediment Reductions Through Collaborative Technical Assistance in Virginia Headwaters
Expand technical assistance capacity in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia to improve water quality and habitat for native eastern brook trout. Project will install 15 miles of exclusion fencing, establish 80 acres of new riparian forest buffer, exclude livestock from and protect 151 acres, and restore and stabilize 14 miles of streambanks and 1.5 miles of eroding streambanks.
$949,142

Trout Unlimited
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Priority Brook Trout Strongholds Conservation Analysis (MD, NY, PA, VA, WV)
Complete focal analyses for 11 brook trout stronghold patches within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Project will develop a strategic restoration approach focused on brook trout populations, and following the compilation of the available data for each patch and the completion of the conservation portfolio analysis, Trout Unlimited will provide a summary report for each priority patch that outlines potential projects, current data available, monitoring needs, and other information.
$41,574

Trout Unlimited
Responsible Recreation Outreach (VA)
Collaborate with partners in the outdoor recreation community to promote responsible fishing during the pandemic. Project will include a digital and print media campaign.
$300,000

Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Installing Hellbender Nest Boxes as a  Restoration Strategy (VA)
Install hellbender nest boxes in Copper Creek, VA in the second phase of an effort to restore limited hellbender shelter and nesting habitat on private land that will lead to increased survival and reproduction. Project will install 60 nest boxes for hellbenders, repeatedly monitor species response and produce behavior change in 12 households with agricultural property on the river.
$116,474

Winrock International Institute of Agriculture Development
Methods and Protocols for Calculating Carbon Sequestration Benefits (VA)
Develop methods, protocols and a tool that NFWF staff and grantees can use to calculate the total greenhouse gas emissions avoided and/or sequestered annually as a result of NFWF-funded projects (i.e. the annualized carbon benefit). Project will use selected methods and protocols to estimate the carbon benefits of 35 Acres for America projects and 100-125 additional projectsthat are representative of the NFWF portfolio, and will develop a “carbon calculator” tool and train NFWF staff to use it. 
$118,830