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Chesapeake Progress

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Outcome:Logic & Action Plan

Chesapeake Bay Program partners have committed to taking a series of specific actions to support the management approaches guiding this outcome. These actions directly address the factors that could impact our progress. More information about performance targets and participating partners can be found in the complete Logic & Action Plan.

Download Logic & Action Plan (.pdf)

Completed Actions

2022-2023

  • Held and published a report on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) Rising Watershed and Bay Water Temperatures Workshop, which evaluated the potential impact of increasing water temperatures on SAV restoration and its ability to provide relevant ecosystem services.  
  • Completed and published the results of Modeling the Past to Predict the Future: Forecasting the Relative Role of Climate Change and Habitat Management on Chesapeake Bay SAV, which evaluated the attainability of SAV restoration targets in the face of changing environmental conditions.  
  • Published SAV Monitoring Program webpages on ChesapeakeBay.net.  
  • Identified and prioritized an updated list of SAV science and research needs.
  • Identified funding opportunities to support the continued exploration of satellite imagery and the development of algorithms and workflows to automate SAV detection and quantification.
  • Continued implementation of the SAV Watchers Program and worked to identify funding opportunities to ensure the program’s long-term stability.
  • Finalized the SAV Sentinel Site monitoring protocol and developed an implementation plan for the monitoring program that includes identification and commitment from site adopters.

2020-2021

  • Developed and published “Small-scale SAV Restoration in Chesapeake Bay: A Protocol and Technical Guidance Manual” as well as associated outreach materials to promote collaborative restoration efforts throughout the Bay.
  • Assessed the feasibility of incorporating the use of high-resolution satellite imagery into the Chesapeake Bay-wide SAV Monitoring Program.
  • Considered the implications of competing goals related to shallow water uses. Began to evaluate the potential for SAV to reach restoration goals and provide relevant ecosystem services in the face of climate change impacts (i.e., sea level rise, increased Bay temperatures).
  • Developed a community-based social marketing strategy that enhances the public's knowledge of and appreciation for SAV in the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Recruited Riverkeeper and watershed organizations to participate in underwater grass monitoring through the continued implementation of the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers program.
  • Began development of the Chesapeake Bay SAV Sentinel Site Program.

2018-2019

  • Developed and implemented a volunteer underwater grass monitoring protocol and program – Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers.
  • Identified available and appropriate models for selecting restoration sites.
  • Supported efforts to determine the economic value of the ecosystem services underwater grasses provide.
  • Promoted the use of best management practices that benefit the persistence and recovery of underwater grass beds in local efforts to prepare for Phase III Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs).
  • Supported the continued improvement and evolution of the submerged aquatic vegetation component of the shallow-water component of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Model.
  • Reviewed and refined the documents that guide work toward this outcome with new monitoring or restoration knowledge.
  • Worked with the Budget and Finance Workgroup to create a financing strategy and/or system for all aspects of the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Management Strategy and Logic & Action Plan.