| Contact: R3press@epa.gov EPA awards $143,000 to Maryland to enhance its wetlands program PHILADELPHIA (October 28, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $142,758 grant to the Maryland Department of Environment to enhance its wetlands program by emphasizing a "living shoreline" approach. A living shoreline is a way of managing coastal areas to protect, restore, or enhance the habitat. This is done through the placement of plants, stone, sand and other materials. Living shorelines do not interrupt natural relationships between land, wetlands and bodies of water. "Wetlands are a primary component of Maryland's environment, which contribute greatly to the state's ability to protect water quality and natural resources," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. "This award is a great example of the effective partnership between federal and state agencies to protect and restore Maryland's wetlands." The funding supports a project entitled: "Development of New Living Shoreline Guidance" and will support Maryland's 2015-2020 approved Wetland Program Plan to evaluate effectiveness of restoration guidance and improve outreach and education. The proposal includes an interagency agreement with Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to provide expertise to expand the shoreline inventory and data analyses to encourage using the living shoreline approach rather than a structural approach to stabilize shorelines. The funds were provided through EPA's Wetland Program Development Grant program, which enables state, local and tribal governments to conduct a range of projects that promote research and pollution reduction efforts related to wetlands. For more information on the program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetland-program-development-grants-and-epa-wetlands-grant-coordinators. # # #
 
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