Naval Air Station Patuxent River and its partners from the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team received a 2004 Coastal America Partnership Award Oct. 4 for restoring 1.5 acres of tidal wetland habitat and 3,500 feet of new shoreline on Pax River's Webster Field Annex.

In May 2003, volunteers from the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay partnered with the Environmental Department of the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington, St. Mary's County Soil Conservation District and the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board to stabilize the shoreline, install oyster reefs and plant more than 30,500 units of marsh grasses.

"The project brought together federal agencies, state and local governments and a variety of non-profit organizations all dedicated to helping improve the Chesapeake Bay," Donald Schregardus, deputy assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment), said. "This is one of those projects that was simply done right."

Schregardus, acting on behalf of the President and the 12 federal departments that comprise the Coastal America Partnership, presented partnership awards and letters from President Bush, applauding the team's efforts to protect and enhance the wildlife habitat value of the shoreline resources here.

"By reaching out to others, a project that normally would have a single but important benefit of reducing sediment loading in the Chesapeake Bay instead resulted in multiple and significant environmental benefits for the Bay and its inhabitants today and into the future," Schregardus said.

Using a cooperative approach, several significant, attainable goals were identified and achieved by the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team, a partnership of more than ten federal, state and non-profit groups, including Pax River. The Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team met five of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement goals: oysters, submerged aquatic vegetation, education and outreach, public access, and nutrients and sediments.

"Strong relationships built on trust, commitment of the partners to do what's necessary to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay allow this team called the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team to achieve those five goals," said Rear Adm. Jan C. Gaudio, Commandant, Naval District Washington, who accepted the award on behalf of the team.

In addition to the environmental benefits of the project, Gaudio said that the team's development of the oyster reefs also provided a coastal shore force protection that could be used in the future.

"They were designed to prove a concept that we can in fact take environmental stewardship and roll that together with a very critical force protection requirement that we have at our installations and do what is right for both protecting the installation and the environment," he said.

Individual awards were presented to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington; Naval Air Station Patuxent River; NOAA Restoration Center; St. Mary's Soil Conservation District; Southern Maryland Resource Conservation And Development Board; National Aquarium in Baltimore; Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; Oyster Recovery Partnership; Coastal Design and Construction, Inc.; Coastline Design, P.C.; Naval District Washington; Southern Maryland Resource Conservation And Development Board; and St. Mary's Soil Conservation District, Board of Supervisors.

-USN-

Photo by Rebecca March
Rear Adm. Jan Gaudio, Naval District Washington commandant, accepts the 2004 Coastal America Partnership Award Community Partnership on behalf of the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team from right, Donald Schregardus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment), and left, Timothy R. E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce. NAS Patuxent River and its partners from the Southern Maryland Coastal and Aquatic Resource Team received the award Monday for restoring 1.5 acres of tidal wetland habitat and 3,500 feet of new shoreline on Pax River's Webster Field Annex.