This project will mobilize existing Chesapeake Bay restoration science to co-develop decision-ready syntheses with Bay restoration decision-makers to improve restoration and biodiversity outcomes in Virginia.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Pooled Monitoring Initiative Restoration Research Program (PMI-RRP) represents a rich body of restoration science for the Bay. Despite functioning as a dynamic science-to-policy hub in Maryland, informing decisions across jurisdictions, including stormwater management, stream restoration, nutrient reduction, contaminant pollution and more, it remains underutilized in Virginia.
Led by Thriving Coasts Consulting, LLC, this project is anchored in three actionable decision pathways in Virginia: restoration permitting and stormwater management; decision-support guidance updates; and support for Tribal restoration priorities. They will convene a Virginia-focused working group of Bay restoration decisionmakers to develop:
- a decision pathway priority list and framework for connecting science to decisions;
- science-to-policy crosswalks linking recommendations to permitting criteria, restoration planning, and guidance; and
- implementation-ready materials (e.g., updated guidance for the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook) to foster immediate use.
This project was funded in August 2026 as part of the 2026 Ocean Biodiversity Program Regional Engagement Grants.
