Transcript Slide 1

Partnering for Success in Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
Research, Restoration, and Education in the Chesapeake Bay
Freshwater SAV Partnership, Chesapeake Research Consortium, Edgewater, MD
Rebecca M. Thur ([email protected])
Introduction
Historically, the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries were host to expansive meadows of
submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). But by the 1970’s, the coverage of SAV in the Bay had
dropped from above 80,000 to below 16,000 hectares. This drastic decline has been
attributed to a combination of long-term deterioration of water quality, disease, and the
scouring effect of Hurricane Agnes in 1972. While SAV has gradually rebounded in recent
decades (Fig. 1), its current coverage is still far below historic levels, as well as the new
restoration goal of approximately 75,000 hectares set by the Chesapeake Bay Program in the
2003, following adoption of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement.
90,000
Why Focus on Freshwater SAV?
Partnership Mission
Freshwater, tidal fresh, and oligohaline (0.5 – 5 ppt salinity) species of SAV are particularly
imperiled because of their position in the headwaters of the estuary, near the sources of
major nutrient, contaminant, and sediment inputs. In addition to being at greater risk,
freshwater species are arguably the most critical component of the Chesapeake Bay SAV
community. They are the Bay’s first line of defense, intercepting and filtering nutrients and
trapping sediments before they can reach and impact more saline areas. Without this buffer,
excessive nutrients can lead to algal blooms, anoxia, and epiphyte growth on halotolerant
SAV species. Hence, increases in freshwater SAV coverage can enhance not only the
immediate habitat in which they live, but also have significant positive impacts on water
quality, eutrophication, and productivity in downstream portions of the Bay.
At its inception in the fall of 2002, the Freshwater (FW) SAV Partnership outlined its mission to
expand current knowledge and research on:
70,000
Partnership Members
40,000
30,000
Year
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1987
1986
1985
1984
Historic
0
1990
10,000
1989
20,000
Chesapeake Research Consortium
The Johns Hopkins University
Old Dominion University
Penn State University Institutes of the Environment
Smithsonian Institution
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies
2010 Goal
50,000
2004 Release Pending from CBP
60,000
1988 No Data
SAV Cover (hectares) .
80,000
Figure 1. SAV cover in the Chesapeake Bay from 1984 – 2004 (1 hectare = 2.471 acres). The “Historic” bar
(blue) represents a composite of maximum Baywide SAV coverage experienced from the 1930s to 1971,
prior to decline. Note the recovery period observed from 1984 to 1993, following initial efforts to improve
water quality. The 2010 restoration goal (yellow bar) of approximately 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) was
established in April 2003. Actual SAV cover (green bars) is now determined annually from the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) aerial survey data.
Important Roles of SAV
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Office
Figure 2. Mating blue crabs found in a bed of redhead
grass (Potomogeton perfoliatus). Studies have shown
that blue crab numbers can be up to 30 times higher in
SAV beds than in bare areas. Photo by P. Bergstrom,
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office
U.S. Geological Survey
 Removes toxins and nutrients, such
as nitrogen and phosphorus, from the
Why a Partnership?
 Oxygenates the surrounding water,
which is highly beneficial to other
aquatic life, through photosynthesis;
 Provides a nutritious food source
(grasses and seeds) for native and
migratory waterfowl species;
for zooplankton.
Figure 3. Aerial photograph taken in 2001 over the upper
Patuxent River, MD. The ebb tide causes a plume of
clearer water to move offshore, out of the fringing SAV
bed, where it mixes with the much more turbid channel
water. Photo from VIMS aerial survey.
Collaborative Proposals Submitted:
Figure 4.
(a) An outdoor SAV growout tank containing
mature water stargrass
(Heteranthera dubia) at
U.S. Army installation,
Aberdeen Proving
Grounds (APG).
(b)
(b) This and 3 other species
of SAV grown in APG
tanks were harvested for
a multi-partner planting
effort in the Bush River in
August of 2004. Photos
by R. Thur, CRC.
Figure 5. The SAV Restoration Handbook,
jointly authored by several FW SAV
Partnership members and published by
Horne Engineering, will be a valuable
resource to the DoD community as more
installations become involved in SAV
restoration and monitoring.
In addition to on-the-ground activities, Partnership efforts
have resulted in the completion of a comprehensive SAV
restoration handbook (Fig. 5). for both Department of
Defense installations in the Chesapeake Bay Basin (84
total), and for the larger restoration community.
Partnership members were instrumental in presenting
and demonstrating the restoration and monitoring
concepts described in the handbook to DoD personnel at
an interactive workshop held in November of 2004. The
handbook is scheduled for release in summer of 2005.
Website and Headwaters Newsletter
and light penetration (Fig. 3);
water column;
(a)
Restoration Handbook
Harford Community College
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
 Protects and stabilizes nearshore
which serves as a valuable food source
Partnership members have continued
to conduct their independent work, as
well as to initiate cooperative, multipartner SAV plantings (Fig. 4) and
proposals (see bottom). Partners are
also pursuing laboratory research,
measuring water quality parameters,
and mapping SAV coverage though
aerial and groundtruthing surveys.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
(Fig. 2);
 Produces detritus as it decomposes,
Restoration/Monitoring
U.S. Army Environmental Center
refuge for fish, shellfish, and blue crabs
water column, increasing water clarity
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,
The FW SAV Partnership has demonstrated through several collaborative activities that the
benefits of forming or joining a partnership can be productive, and the results, positive (see
below). In this way, the Partnership continues to act as a visible advocate for and facilitator of
freshwater aquatic vegetation restoration and the important role that it plays in reaching the
Bay-wide goal of restoring 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) of Bay grasses by the year 2010.
U.S. Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground
 Provides nursery habitat, food, and
 Filters and traps sediments in the
Anne Arundel Community College
Partnership Activities
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Chesapeake Bay Office
Bay’s water quality;
wave energy;
--Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
With support from the U.S. Army Environmental Center, the CRC is overseeing activities of the
FW SAV Partnership, currently comprised of 20 Federal and State agencies, academic
institutions, and other non-governmental organizations (listed in gray box, center).
Harford County Parks & Recreation, Anita C. Leight Estuary Center
 Acts as a primary indicator of the
environments from erosion by baffling
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
1) basic biology, physiology, and ecology of freshwater, tidal fresh, and oligohaline SAV;
2) new approaches to propagating and restoring these taxa.
Despite its clear importance, scientific information about freshwater SAV species is lacking
compared to that available for more halotolerant species. Progress in the areas of
freshwater SAV research and restoration had been occurring on a small scale through the
efforts of individual agencies with finite resources and multiple missions. In response to
increasing interest in addressing the freshwater SAV knowledge gap, the Chesapeake
Research Consortium (CRC) was asked to form a collaborative partnership to provide a
means by which funding, research, restoration, and propagation projects, as well as
outreach efforts, could be leveraged, pooled, and coordinated.
The Partnership website (www.chesapeake.org/SAV/partnershiphome.html) has become a valuable
tool for partner organizations and other interested parties by providing an outlet for rapid distribution
of FW SAV information, such as online and printed reference materials, funding opportunities,
current and past restoration project summaries, conference and workshop announcements, and
contact information for area SAV experts and supply vendors.
In January 2005, the Partnership also began issuing a
quarterly newsletter that features partner-involved restoration
research and restoration projects, lists upcoming funding
deadlines and conferences, provides citations for newly
published peer reviewed journal articles and other literature of
interest to the FW community, and highlights noteworthy local,
regional, and national SAV issues. Each issue of Headwaters
is available for download as a PDF or MS Word file on the
“News & Current Projects” page of the Partnership website.
Weir Cove Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration Project, to FishAmerica Foundation and NOAA Restoration Center (5/04); Bush River Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration Project, to NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (7/04); Continued
Development and Coordination of DoD Installation Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Programs in the Chesapeake Bay, to U.S. Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program (8/04), and to U.S. Army Environmental Center (9/04)*; Demonstrating Cross-Habitat Restoration Methods with
Engineered Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) and Emergent Vegetation (EV) Combined Habitats in the Chesapeake Bay, to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (3/05)** (*Indicates successful submission, **Indicates award decision pending )