President's budget proposes $37.8 million for land conservation in Bay region

The Chesapeake Bay region could receive nearly $38 million in conservation funding under President Obama’s proposed budget for the 2016 fiscal year, announced earlier this month. If approved by Congress, the funds could conserve more than 7,500 acres of land throughout the Bay watershed.

Of the proposed $37.8 million, $33.3 million is tied to the Rivers of the Chesapeake Collaborative Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) proposal, which focuses on protecting the James, Nanticoke, Potomac, Rappahannock and Susquehanna Rivers and the lands that surround them. By improving water quality, providing critical habitats for fish, shellfish and migratory birds, and offering opportunities for public access, preserving these landscapes would help meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which guides the restoration of the Bay, its rivers and streams and nearby lands. Bay Program partners are currently collaborating on the creation of a land preservation strategy for the region.

“These are the places we love. The places we boat, hunt, fish, and hike, the places we take our children to explore the outdoors, and the places people come to visit,” said Joel Dunn, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Conservancy, one of the partners behind the Rivers of the Chesapeake proposal. “Protecting these places supports our communities and economy and is also important to maintaining the ecological health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.”

The President’s $4 trillion budget recommendation includes $900 million for the national Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports the conservation of land and water resources across the United States and aims to provide outdoor recreation opportunities to all Americans.