Last fall, the Lower Shore Land Trust and ShoreRivers, through their partnership in the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN), rolled out a program to provide flexible incentives for landowners throughout the Delmarva peninsula to install best management practices–commonly referred to as “BMPs”–on their farms. This exciting opportunity was funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Program, which seeks to accelerate the use of water quality improvement practices and enhance regional partnerships.

This Delmarva-wide conservation program is a scaled-out expansion of the Envision the Choptank BMP incentive program that accelerated implementation of trees, grasses, and wetlands in the Choptank River watershed by reducing barriers for landowner enrollment.

Read on for the full story!

The Upper Choptank River has been selected by Maryland’s Interagency Management Team as one of five watersheds to receive investment over the next five years through the Whole Watershed Act.

The Envision the Choptank partnership is grateful to the legislators, partner organizations, and community members who helped create a thoughtful, science-based, and innovative proposal.

Read on to learn more about the initiatives this funding will help to advance!

As we close 2024, let's look back on what we've been able to accomplish together!

Working with the Jonestown Community Development Corporation, Envision the Choptank developed and facilitated the LEAD the Shore pilot program last fall. Inspired by a similar initiative in Louisiana, LEAD the Shore is a shared learning and leadership development program designed to equip residents of disenfranchised communities with the tools they need for effective civic engagement to address climate change and other natural resource-related issues. In December 2023, nineteen community members from Jonestown and the surrounding area celebrated their completion of the program. Since then, LEAD graduates have been leveraging the resources and skills they learned in the program to take on new roles in their communities. Overall, the LEAD the Shore program underscored Envision’s strength in building relationships, helping to increase conversations and facilitate connections between local communities, practitioners, policymakers, and funders. Read on to learn more!

As we close 2023, let's look back on what we've been able to accomplish together!

In late September, Envision the Choptank partners gathered for the 4th Annual All Partner Meeting and unveiling of the newly updated Common Agenda, a set of shared objectives and strategies that will guide the partnership over the next 5 years. Read on to learn more about the updated Common Agenda and how Envision plans to scale-up and sustain the progress of the partnership for years to come!

Working alongside partners from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Envision the Choptank is breaking barriers by elevating environmental justice priorities and helping to open up funding sources to nonprofits. Read on to learn more about these efforts and how the power of the partnership is helping to make them happen!

As we close 2022, let's look back on what we've been able to accomplish together!

On behalf of Envision the Choptank, we'd like to wish a big congratulations to Donna Dear and Paulette Greene of Mount Pleasant Acres Farm on their recognition as finalists for Maryland's second annual Leopold Conservation Award from the Sand County Foundation!

Envision the Choptank partners recently gathered at North County Regional Park for a site visit and project tour. Check out how the Caroline County Recreation & Parks department has been working with partners to restore riparian and grassland habitat, provide enhanced resiliency from high intensity rain events, and improve water quality in the Choptank River.

On November 7, Envision the Choptank officially launched its new workgroup: Advancing Large-Scale Restoration. Learn more about this workgroup and it’s plans for the new year!

Thanks to the recent Regional Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI) grant awarded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, Envision is able to bring on added capacity to expand some of our initiatives. Read on to learn more about these positions and meet the newest members of the Envision team!

On June 16, 2022, the Envision the Choptank partnership held its 3rd annual All Partner Meeting to share updates on the progress made and plans for the coming year. This year’s meeting also included a discussion on climate change and a First-Hand Accounts panel with representatives from communities engaged in Envision projects. Read on to learn more about what we’ve accomplished and where we’re headed!

Have you heard about Envision’s work on creating a prioritized restoration opportunity list for sites around the Choptank River watershed and neighboring counties? This spatial analysis project, originally designed to support outreach and project planning by our Landowner Assistance Coordinators, is now publicly available for all to use!

Since it’s been a while since our last workgroup-related post, we’ve put together a brief summary of each of Envision’s 3 main workgroups: Working with Local Governments, Engaging Disenfranchised Communities, and Agricultural BMPs - Breaking Barriers. Read on to learn what each has been up to.

Envision the Choptank is preparing for the future with an update to its Common Agenda, Envision’s strategic plan whose goals, objectives, and strategies guide the actions of the partnership. Read on to learn the process we’ll follow and key topics we’re planning to explore over the coming year.

Envision the Choptank is offering new financial incentives for installing Best Management Practices (BMPs) on agricultural lands, as well as qualifying residential properties, within the Choptank River watershed.

This month, the Talbot Spy featured Envision the Choptank and NOAA scientists at the Oxford Cooperative Lab and their efforts to inform and work with residents and local governments to restore water quality and habitat in the Choptank watershed.

Recently, our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received national recognition for the work they’ve done with Envision the Choptank!

A Conversation with Tracey Gordy, Senior Regional Planner for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.