Maryland Declines $1M
Halting the planned next step of oyster restoration in the Tred Avon River has meant losing a pretty penny. One million dollars allocated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers goes instead to Virginia. Oysters and the whole Bay environment will still benefit, but Maryland’s change of direction may have implications for future federal funding — if and when work resumes.
Gov. Larry Hogan stopped work on the Eastern Shore oyster sanctuary midway though the project. Oyster habitat restoration was to continue on the Tred Avon this month, with construction of an eight-acre oyster reef. The administration says its stop-work order was issued pending review of Maryland’s entire oyster management strategy, with reports due in July.