Executive Director Jesse and Restoration Associate Mollie pick up the boat from winter storage

This newsletter is made possible in part thanks to the generous support of Diamond Sponsor: Harbour Wine and Spirits

There are hints that spring is really here and the Severn River Association has exciting updates to share. You may have heard that the Severn River has been selected with four other tributaries for substantial restoration investment from the Maryland Whole Watershed Fund. A hearty thank you to everyone who added their voice to support the Severn! Now that the state budget is finalized, we know that $2M will be allocated for restoration of the Severn River Watershed. We anticipate hearing which projects will move forward during this first year.

Construction of the micro-bioretention cells at Georgetown East Townhouse Community is approximately 70% complete. See below for more updates. Nearby, if you shop at the Bay Forest Shopping Center, you may have noticed two small yard signs indicating the location of a future restoration project. Our engineering designer BayLand Consultants and Designers has completed the design of the project and the permit is ready. We are waiting to hear back if the construction will be funded. At Lake Marion, restoration work is largely completed and planting has begun. 

We are excited to announce funding of two new projects. Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded SRA $75,000 to collaborate with Hanover Land Services (HLS) to develop a restoration action plan for the Severn Run Mainstem 1 subwatershed, our #4 priority subwatershed for restoration according to the Severn River Action Plan. Together, we will assess watershed and habitat restoration needs and opportunities, particularly focused on nutrient and sediment pollution load reductions that lead to improved Severn River water quality. Severn Run Mainstem 1 is located at the very top of the Severn River, and includes Lake Marion.

We are also thankful that the Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded SRA $38,000 to partially fund the design and permitting of a living shoreline and stormwater management at the Hollywood on Severn community in Severna Park. We are waiting to hear back from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources regarding the remainder of funding for the project.

We extend sincere gratitude to all our funders and individual donors—your generous support makes writing grant proposals for these vital projects possible.

For the Severn,

Ben Fertig, Ph.D.

Restoration Manager

Ben@severnriver.org

Construction in the Georgetown East community continues to run smoothly and is approximately 70% complete. Relevant utilities have been relocated and two of the three ponds are now complete. We anticipate the last pond will take about another week or so, weather depending, and then we will begin to wrap up the project. We are looking forward to hosting a volunteer planting day in May—keep your calendars open.

John Wright Speaker Series

In person ONLY at the Annapolis Library.

1410 West Street, Annapolis, 21401

The City of Annapolis and the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County have partnered to address flooding, erosion, and sea level rise in the Back Creek and Spa Creek areas around Eastport with the Annapolis Maritime Resilience Initiative. To better understand issues residents are facing, they've developed a brief survey to learn how these environmental challenges have affected you and what, if any, ideas you might have to help address them.

Please take five minutes of your time to complete the survey and let your voice be heard.

A big thank you to the students at Rolling Knolls and a local girl scout troop for coming out to help clean up the area behind the Annapolis Bowling Alley. They collected 30 bags of trash in just 2 hours leaving the wetland area clean and better for the animals that call it home.

Sherwood Forest Test Wells

In pursuit of an innovative technique to treat septic runoff, SRA has partnered with the Sherwood Forest community to install test wells to monitor nitrogen levels. After one year of monitoring, we will decide if the community is a good candidate for a permeable reactive barrier.

Click on the video to learn more!

Our important work is only possible due to the generous support of people like you. If you are a current donor - THANK YOU! We welcome your support any time of the year. If you are not yet a member, please consider joining the movement today. Any size donation makes you a member.

HELP RESTORE AND PROTECT THE SEVERN RIVER