DELMARVAÂ .-Â The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $6.9 million in funding through the Chesapeake Watershed Investments in Landscape Defense (Chesapeake WILD) Program to support 33 partner-led conservation projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The grants will generate $6 million in matching contributions, bringing the total investment to nearly $13 million.
More than $2 million will support 11 projects focused on collaborative conservation and partnership building, a new funding track for the program. All 33 projects support conservation outcomes for state and Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
Projects funded in 2025 will assess barriers to fish movement in 100 habitat areas, protect 817 acres of habitat, enhance management planning on 50,000 acres, and create 87 jobs.
Chesapeake WILD projects are led by state agencies, tribal nations, local communities, and conservation partners across the six-state watershed. The program supports habitat conservation, disaster resilience, public recreation access, and water quality.