Last fall, the Lower Shore Land Trust and ShoreRivers, through their partnership in the Delmarva Restoration and Conservation Network (DRCN), rolled out a program to provide flexible incentives for landowners throughout the Delmarva peninsula to install best management practices–commonly referred to as “BMPs”–on their farms. This exciting opportunity was funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Program, which seeks to accelerate the use of water quality improvement practices and enhance regional partnerships. This Delmarva-wide conservation program is a scaled-out expansion of the Envision the Choptank BMP incentive program.
Agriculture accounts for close to half of the Choptank watershed’s land use and is one of the largest sources of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment that plague the river. Conservation practices on agricultural land have been identified as some of the most efficient tools to slow and filter nutrients and sediment before they reach our waterways. However, current requirements, long application processes, and disinterest in working with government agencies have created obstacles for many landowners to participate in some of the most well-funded conservation programs. The inflexibility of these programs does not always allow for innovative, site-specific, and timely solutions.
Milkweed blooms in buffer on an agricultural field.
In response to these issues, Envision the Choptank partners collaboratively crafted a program that would break down these barriers and spur BMP installation locally. The program consisted of:
A science-based prioritization tool, created to identify the locations in the Choptank watershed that would benefit most from conservation and restoration projects.
A set of financial incentives offered to landowners willing to install grass buffers, forest buffers, or wetlands on their properties. These incentives could be combined with existing cost-share programs or applied separately. The parameters for installation and the maintenance requirements were altered to better fit landowner needs.
A Landowner Assistance Coordinator position, created to support the participating landowners.
The Envision BMP incentive program created the flexibility and support structure needed to entice landowners to participate. As a result, the partnership was able to install close to 200 acres of riparian buffers or wetlands on strategically targeted agricultural lands. Learning from the perspectives of everyone at the table has been a longtime strength of the Envision the Choptank collaborative. Staff representing several different organizations were able to come together to provide their unique expertise and tailor project plans to the specific issues on each farm.
By starting with a few pilot projects and building the program slowly, Envision partners were able to build trust within the agricultural community and tailor the program to their feedback. The Landowner Assistance Coordinator played a key role, acting as bridge between landowners and the Soil Conservation Districts when needed. Whitley Gray, Restoration Manager at ShoreRivers, explains that “having someone accessible and an advocate to help [the landowners] through the process seemed to be advantageous. It is a model that will be continued into the new program.”
Building upon the interest and success of the Envision collaborative, partners have secured new funding to extend these conservation opportunities beyond the Choptank watershed. The expanded program, spearheaded by the Lower Shore Land Trust and ShoreRivers, involves a partnership among members of DRCN, a group similar to Envision that serves the entire Delmarva Peninsula. Incorporating lessons learned from the previous work as well as input and involvement from DRCN members, the expanded program promises to accelerate water quality improvement projects regionally.
“I think it’s great that we are expanding the work to other regions. There is a real benefit for the Lower Shore to collaborate and help to pull more resources to this neck of the watershed. We can use it as a launching pad to do even more further down the road.”
The Delmarva-wide BMP incentive program was launched in the fall of 2024 and is already making remarkable progress toward its BMP installation goals. Although this program is being offered more widely, landowners in the Choptank are still eligible and encouraged to participate. For more information about the restoration program or how you can get involved, contact Beth Sheppard at bsheppard@LSLT.org or Laura Wood at lwood@shorerivers.org.