NOAA VOLUNTEERS AND PARTNERS JOIN IN CHESAPEAKE BAY RESTORATION PROGRAM
Project Restores Over 1,000 Feet of Shoreline at NAS Patuxent River

Today more than 130 volunteers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration joined personnel from the U.S. Navy and St. Mary’s College to restore a portion of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline during the second annual NOAA Restoration Day event at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in St. Mary’s County, Md.

Volunteers planted 54 trays of underwater grasses previously grown in NOAA offices around the region. They also installed 5,400 wetlands plants, distributed 100 bags of native oysters, and removed invasive species from the water’s edge. All together these projects will help restore more than 1,000 feet of highly eroding shoreline.

“I’m very impressed with the enthusiasm NOAA staff puts into this project,” said Timothy R.E. Keeney, deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere. “Their actions and those of our partners will help restore this national treasure - the Chesapeake Bay.”

NOAA Restoration Day provides an opportunity for NOAA leaders and employees to work side-by-side, demonstrating their commitment to science, service and stewardship. Today’s staff-led effort, supplements an existing restoration project supported by NOAA’s Community-based Restoration program. The 2004 event was held at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, a scenic 500-acre nature preserve located about 5 miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern shore of Maryland.

“NOAA Fisheries Service is proud to sponsor this annual event as a way to get people involved in a hands-on project that can make a difference to the Chesapeake Bay and to the millions of people who care about its future,” said Bill Hogarth, NOAA Fisheries Service director.

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Fisheries Service: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

NOAA Restoration Day: http://restorationday.noaa.gov