On November 7, Envision the Choptank officially launched its new workgroup: Advancing Large-Scale Restoration. This new group will join the ranks of Envision’s other workgroups (including Engaging Disenfranchised Communities, Working with Local Governments, and Agricultural BMPs: Breaking Barriers) working to bring people together to develop collaborative solutions. At its first meeting, the group toured a multi-practice, large-scale restoration project in progress at the North County Regional Park in Greensboro and discussed the objectives and actions the group should work to carry out. For more on the lessons learned from the North County Regional Park project, visit this blog post.
Members of Envision the Choptank gather at North County Regional Park for a site visit and project tour, followed by the launch of the new Advancing Large-Scale Restoration workgroup.
The Advancing Large-Scale Restoration workgroup’s primary goal will be to advance more connected and larger-scale restoration projects to sustain ecological integrity, support climate resiliency to benefit the environment and local communities, and improve cost-efficiencies. Over the next year, this group will be engaged in identifying and compiling a list of potential large-scale projects in the Choptank watershed, building capacity for Envision partners to apply for larger funding opportunities to support these projects, and exploring avenues to advance hard-to-fund restoration practices.
As highlighted by Joanna Ogburn, Envision Coordinator, the timing for this workgroup couldn’t be better. “We now have the infrastructure in place, the networks developed, and great examples of large-scale projects, like the North County Regional Park, to learn from.”
To learn more about or join the Advancing Large-Scale Restoration workgroup, please email envisionthechoptank@gmail.com.