Getting grass to grow on our own lawns can be challenging during those sweltering summer days—but that's nothing compared to the challenge of getting grass to grow in the Chesapeake Bay. One of the most common seagrasses or Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) varieties is eelgrass. A reduction in eelgrass has been a concern in the bay for some time.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, seagrasses have been on the decline since the 1950s, mainly due to poor water quality. Although issues like stormwater runoff continue to impact water quality, places where water quality is good enough to support these grasses hands-on restoration efforts can be a major help to increase the grassbeds.

Last year was one of the hottest on record, which did not bode well for the grasses. However, one Edgewater-based nonprofit, Ecosystem Solutions Inc. (ESI), is looking to solve this problem and they are getting a little help from Constellation Energy. 

The energy provider, and parent company to local electric company BGE, recently awarded ESI a grant for a seagrass restoration project.

The program, “Innovative Methodology for Seed Based Restoration of Seagrasses,” identifies several reasons for why eelgrass has been on the decline in the bay for the past 50 years. Researchers say this decline has affected all sorts of other organisms that depend on the grass in one way or another.

The project began last year but already preliminary results look promising. Researchers have found success at a few sites located in the Chesapeake Bay coastal areas.

Although the results look good so far, more research will likely be needed to find the best treatment for maximizing restoration benefits.

ESI has several research sites along the Atlantic coast beginning in Northern Virginia and working north into the bay. Researchers spread the treated seeds using SCUBA gear during the fall months. The following spring, the grass shoots are counted to calculate germination rates.

Once the best combination is determined, the next step will be to implement large-scale projects throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

The main goal of the project is to find a cost-effective way to restore eelgrass to the Chesapeake and beyond. Once the best seed treatment is determined, they can be distributed to a number of local organizations, groups and even schools to plant in local waterways.

"Our idea was to coat the seeds," said Dr. Leslie Orzetti, senior scientist at ESI. “The coating is much like the coating you see on consumer seeds you buy for the home garden,” she said. “It makes them less palatable to predators and in the case of the eelgrass, it provides just enough weight to help them sink faster and more precisely placed along the bottom.”

Orzetti  explained that eelgrass seeds typically have a 5 percent survival rate in the wild, however their research suggests this new seed coating technique can increase that rate to 20 percent. She also explained that by increasing the amount of eelgrass beds in the bay, many other bay residents will benefit as well.

"It [eelgrass] helps stabilize the sediment and also takes up nutrients which we know is a major problem for the bay," she said. “They also make great habitat for all kinds of critters like, juvenile sport fish and crabs."

In addition to this project ESI is also involved in a number of other studies that examine how successful past restoration projects have been. "Our focus is restoration but we also want to look at the ecological impact of restoration too," she said.

Zostera Marina or eelgrass as it is commonly known, occupies places in the bay and its tributaries with sufficient salinity levels and where water temperatures do not exceed 77 degrees farenheit. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reports that these thick green plants are the Chesapeake's most common native SAV and provide many services to the ecosystem. In addition to providing habitat for all kinds of critters that live in the bay, the grass also absorbs alot of harmful pollutants like bacteria and nutrients.

It is also food for a number of other bay residents like, ducks, Canada Geese and seaturtles. If that were'nt enough, the grasses add oxygen to the water and their roots help trap sediment too.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has been conducting an annual aerial survey of eelgrass in the Bay and its tributaries since 1984. They identify eelgrass as a key indicator of bay health and this year it appears the grasses are still on the decline. They reported to the Associated Press that in the midbay region grass beds declined by 11 percent while beds in the lower bay increased by only a single percentage point.

The survey takes place in the spring each year when the grasses are expected to be at their maximum bloom. Main issues that are impeding the growth of eelgrass in the bay are water quality and high temperatures.

The project identifies several bay residents that will directly benefit from increased eelgrass beds. The SAVs provide much-needed protection from large predators for a number of juvenille fish and crabs. Many species of waterfowl will likely benefit from restoring the eelgrass as well, namely Canvasbacks, Redheads and Ruddy ducks who feed on the grass. According to researchers, eelgrass has a naturally low germination rate so the project aims to use agriculturally treated seeds to enhance it and give more seeds the chance to germinate and grow into mature plants.

Past attempts to restore eel grass have not proven to be as successful. These include uprooting mature plants from existing beds and planting them in areas that do not have healthy grassbeds and spreading seeds from boats. The former is very labor intensive and planting seeds can be difficult as currents often carry seeds out of the area or they become food for hungry predators like crabs and fish.

Wherever cool waters prevail along the atlantic coast, eelgrass beds will benefit from a succesful germination technique and Orzetti said ESI will continue to work towards restoring other species of SAV's throughout the Atlantic coastal waters. "Once we tackle the right combination for eelgrass we will move on to other species of sea grasses," she said.

Orzetti explained that the Ecostar grant is hardly enough to cover the costs of the project but thanks to Constellation Energy's commitment, several other matching grants were made available. "They have helped other people start funding the project as well," she said. Constellation Energy launched the EcoStar Grant Program in 2009 and it has appeared to be quite a success according to Constellation associate Carrie Stockwell.

She said that in 2010, 62 grants were awarded and this year the energy giant awarded another 85. Any non-profit in the areas where constellation serves are eligible to apply and their are more grant funds expected to be available next year for additional projects. Two years into the program and they are finally getting it down, but what is the benefit to Constellation in all of this?
"I think the benefit to us is that it demonstrates that Constellation Energy has a commitment to the communities we serve," she said. "It's definetly part of our core values."

She was quick to explain that the benefits offered by the program are not meant for the company or even their customers. "The real benefit is that people in these communities are empowered to plan the projects and receive support from us to make these plans a reality," she said.