HARRISBURG, PA — A fresh infusion of federal conservation funding is set to ripple across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $6.9 million in grants supporting 33 partner-led projects aimed at protecting wildlife habitat, improving water quality, and strengthening community resilience.
The funding, awarded through the Chesapeake Watershed Investments in Landscape Defense program known as Chesapeake WILD, will generate an additional $6 million in matching contributions, bringing the total investment to nearly $13 million in conservation work across the six-state watershed.
Officials said the projects will advance shared conservation goals for fish and wildlife species of greatest concern while expanding public access to outdoor recreation and bolstering preparedness for natural disasters.
“This funding supports locally driven solutions that protect critical habitat while strengthening communities that depend on a healthy Chesapeake Bay,” the agencies said in announcing the awards.
This year’s grants include more than $2 million dedicated to a new funding track focused on collaborative conservation and partnership building, an effort designed to improve coordination and efficiency across the watershed. Eleven projects fall under that initiative.
Collectively, projects funded in 2025 will assess barriers to fish and aquatic organism movement in 100 priority habitat areas, protect 817 acres of habitat, enhance stewardship planning on roughly 50,000 acres, and create 87 jobs. Since the program’s launch, Chesapeake WILD has supported conservation of approximately 19,000 acres.
The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans six states and supports millions of residents who rely on its rivers and streams for clean drinking water, recreation, farming, fishing, and tourism. The bay is the largest estuary in the United States and provides habitat for thousands of plant and animal species, including nearly one million wintering waterfowl each year.
Among this year’s grant recipients, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources received $500,000 to restore aquatic connectivity on Drury Run in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, benefiting brook trout and other native species. In New York, the Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District secured $500,000 to work with farmers in the Unadilla River Valley on voluntary practices that improve agricultural sustainability and water quality.
Other awards include $200,000 to expand conservation efforts around Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, $500,000 to protect floodplain and forest habitat in Berkeley County, West Virginia, and $75,000 to support collaboration between the Upstream Alliance and the Accohannock Indian Tribe of Maryland on wildlife protection and cultural preservation.
Chesapeake WILD operates as part of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s broader Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, which supports competitive grants to restore and protect the watershed through partnerships with federal, state, tribal, and local organizations.
A full list of 2025 Chesapeake WILD grant awards is available at https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/NFWF-Chesapeake-WILD-20251030-GS.pdf.
Applications for the 2026 Chesapeake WILD grant program are now open, with proposals due Thursday, April 9, 2026. Additional information and application materials can be found at https://www.nfwf.org/programs/chesapeake-wild.
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