Center for Watershed Protection Honors Department for Innovation and Leadership

Cites Department for Advancing the Science of Restoration

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that was recently honored with an award for innovation and leadership from the nonprofit Center for Watershed Protection.

As part of the National Stormwater and Watershed Conference in April, which commemorated the organization’s 25th anniversary, the center presented awards to eight recipients in four categories. Maryland Natural Resources was awarded for “Innovation and Leadership in Watershed Protection and Restoration” in the State Agency category.

“We are proud to honor the Maryland Department of Natural Resources with this award,” Center for Watershed Protection Executive Director Hye Yeong Kwon. “The center has the pleasure of working directly with many state and local government organizations, and we have been extremely impressed with the department’s staff and programs supporting innovation including the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. Like the center, the department, through its Chesapeake and Coastal Service, applauds strategies that are simultaneously cost-effective and inventive, yet realistic, to reduce polluted runoff and support improvements in habitat.”

The department’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service provides technical and financial support for shoreline, stream and wetland restoration as well as improvement of stormwater runoff using site appropriate tools and approaches. Staff work with local partners employing the newest technologies to improve water quality and habitat.

The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, which the department manages, provides essential funding needed for the restoration work. The Trust Fund has directed $348 million to local governments and nonprofit organizations for more than 2,000 nonpoint source pollution projects that mitigate and reduce harmful nutrient and sediment runoff from entering the bay.

“We are greatly honored by the center’s recognition of the important work done by our staff,” Natural Resources Assistant Secretary for Aquatic Resources Bill Anderson said. “The relationship between the Chesapeake and Coastal Service and our partners is a great example of how we can develop and implement cutting-edge and scientifically-sound solutions designed and implemented to address our greatest environmental challenges.”

The Center for Watershed Protection Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering responsible land and water management through applied research, direct assistance to communities, award-winning training, and access to a network of experienced professionals. It was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Howard County with several offices throughout the country.