Photographs courtesy Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Project partners tour the Trossbach site, assessing erosion from a recent storm.
Restoring lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay for the people who live, work, and play in its watershed
The construction of the Trossbach Farm Living Shoreline Project will not only enable the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to restore 3,800 linear feet of living shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay in St. Mary’s County, but also preserve the legacy of a multigenerational family farm. Located in Dameron, Trossbach Farm has been in operation since the early 1900s.
The major restoration project, which is funded by a $3.9 million grant awarded to the Alliance in July 2024 by the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, will create a living shoreline that will prevent further erosion, improve water quality, and benefit habitat. The project includes the installation of stone breakwater structures and 3.35 acres of tidal marsh plantings. Construction, which will begin in late 2024, is expected to be completed in October 2025.
“Implementing the Trossbach Farm Living Shoreline Project is a high priority,” says Kate Fritz, CEO of the Alliance. “Erosion from damaging storms is a major issue in this area and results in the loss of 10 feet of land per year on the property. This makes restoration efforts critical. The Alliance is excited to partner with Chesapeake Bay Trust, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, St. Mary’s County, Coastal Construction Services, Dameron Contracting, and the Trossbach family on this important project.
“When we focus on forming partnerships based on mutually beneficial action, we can go so much further toward a cleaner Bay.”
50 Years of Bay Advocacy
Completing restoration projects is just one way that the Alliance fulfills its mission of “[restoring] the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.” According to Fritz, the watershed-wide organization represents the interface between land and water—striving to prevent pollution on the land before it reaches the water.
The Alliance, formerly “The Citizens Program for the Chesapeake Bay,” was created in 1971 by a group of citizens who were concerned about the declining “state of the Bay.” In ’78, it changed its name to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Today, the nonprofit organization has offices in Annapolis, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, and is committed to its four pillars: agriculture, forests, green infrastructure, and stewardship & engagement.
“The Alliance is a unique organization,” says Brian Macnamara, chair of the Alliance’s Board of Directors. “We are a trusted partner, and we have a long history of bringing everyone to the table in a positive way. Kate is a great leader. Her team works together to create definable metrics for their strategic goals, allowing them to measure their progress.”
Photographs courtesy Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Alliance CEO Kate Fritz speaks to attendees of the organization’s annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum.
Noteworthy Milestones
A regional leader, the Alliance has greatly impacted Bay restoration efforts. In 1983, the organization was a convener of a monumental conference held at George Mason University, where the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed. The one-page pledge supported a cooperative approach to address pollution in the Bay.
During the mid-’90s, the Alliance completed a major project to address stormwater runoff in Pennsylvania. The project involved planting riparian forest buffers (areas of native trees and shrubs) along streams in Lancaster County’s Pequea-Mill Creek watershed, which flows into the Conestoga River, and Mifflin County’s Kishacoquillas Creek Valley, which flows into the Juniata River. The project underscored the importance of planting trees throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which improves water quality by protecting streams from polluted runoff and streambank erosion.
In 2018, the Alliance launched the Turkey Hill Clean Water Partnership, a collaborative effort coordinated by the Alliance in partnership with Turkey Hill Dairy and Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. The partnership provides dairy farmers with resources to reduce nutrient runoff—improving water quality in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area—and offers incentives to implement conservation practices.
“It was a change-making moment,” Fritz says. “The partnership gave us a place to test a new way of working—within the entirety of the dairy supply chain—to increase resources available to farmers, while also accelerating the rate of conservation work on farms. The partnership has opened up opportunities for a new system of engaging the agricultural industry in conservation work within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”
As the Alliance looks toward the future, the organization is excited to continue its mission. In May 2023, it launched its 2023–028 Strategic Plan, a roadmap for the next few years.
“We plan to expand the restoration of our lands and waters, build the capacity of partner organizations, and connect more people to the environment,” Fritz says. “Bay restoration is an issue that affects everyone, and we can all make an impact.”
The Alliance’s Signature Event: Chesapeake Watershed Forum
Photographs courtesy Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Theme: “Making it Last: Proven Tactics for Building Enduring Projects, Partnerships, and Organizations”
October 18–20, 2024
The Alliance is excited to host the 19th annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The event reaches more than 400 restoration and protection practitioners who share successful tools and techniques, offer lessons, foster partnerships, provide education, network, and celebrate successes. Visit allianceforthebay.org for more information.
