Living Shoreline Grant To Help Magothy Beach

Construction of a "living shoreline" along the Magothy River was started earlier this summer and a grant of $100,000 will help fund the bulk of the project.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, living shorelines are a stabilization technique that uses natural habitat elements like rocks—instead of bulkhead or riprap—to protect shorelines from erosion while also providing critical habitat for fish, crabs and other wildlife.

Politicians, nonprofits and homeowners from around Maryland gathered in Eastport on Thursday for the announcement of 16 recipients of grants to build living shorelines.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment to give away more than $800,000—the largest amount awarded to date.

The Magothy Beach Improvement Association received a $100,000 grant, more than any other group in Anne Arundel County.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said he brags about the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts to his colleagues in Congress all the time. 

"This is really big news what's being done here. We know how important the Chesapeake Bay is to our state, and how important it is our country. It's a national treasure," Cardin said. "It was Maryland that started [the restoration effort], and then we brought in the other states and the local governments and the private sector and the federal government. And that partnership now is a national model."

The hope is that these 16 new shoreline projects will serve as learning tools for and examples of effective restoration.

"You are truly on the front lines," Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said. "You are educating the public on the importance of protecting the environment and our shorelines, but also you are putting into practice those techniques."

Since the trust's living shoreline program started seven years ago, there have been 68 projects in local communities that have created 28,000 feet of living shoreline and 18 acres of wetland habitat. 

The program has awarded more than $4 million and leveraged $7 million in matching funds from landowners throughout Maryland and Virginia. 

Living Shoreline grant recipients include:

MARYLAND

• Annapolis Cove Property Owners Association, Anne Arundel County, $40,000
• Magothy Beach Improvement Association, Anne Arundel County, $100,000
• Severn Riverkeeper Program, Anne Arundel County, $18,784
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Anne Arundel County, $41,931
• South River Federation, Anne Arundel County, $12,880
• West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Anne Arundel County, $39,850
• Baltimore County Department of Recreation & Parks, Baltimore County, $13,336
• North East Isles, Cecil County, $100,000
• St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s County, $16,500
• Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Talbot County, $60,000
• The Gunston School, Queen Anne’s County, $100,000
• Chester River Association, Queen Anne’s County, $99,000

VIRGINIA

• City of Norfolk, VA, $134,082
• Friends of Norfolk’s Environment, Norfolk, VA, $5,894
• Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Prince William County, VA, $16,500
• The Landings at Bolling Square Community Association, Norfolk, VA, $11,212