The Patricia Campbell deploys 2.5 million spat-on-shell in a new area on Cooks Point Sanctuary Reef near Tilghman Island. © Erika Nortemann.

The Orvis Company

In 2012, CBF was selected as one of only four organizations designated as a Conservation Partner by The Orvis Company, receiving a $30,000 challenge grant that was matched one-to-one by customer donations through the year.

The grant supported CBF's vital oyster restoration efforts, improving water quality and providing essential habitat for a wide range of marine plants and animals. As a grant recipient, CBF also receives valuable exposure with a feature in the Orvis 2012 printed catalog, in-store signage and handouts in retail stores throughout the country, and a display and presentation at biannual Orvis Days in targeted stores throughout the watershed.

In 2013, The Orvis Company continued its support of CBF's restoration efforts with a grant supporting the planting of streamside forests in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Due to increasing population and development, many forests and wetlands have been lost, allowing pollution to flow into the Bay unhindered. Called "riparian forest buffers," these streamside shrubs and trees are critical to environmental restoration. Forest buffers stabilize shorelines, remove pollutants from contaminated runoff, and provide shade for brook trout and other fish species that thrive in cooler temperatures and the cleanest waters.

Learn more about the Orvis commitment to the Chesapeake Bay at bit.ly/orvis-commitment-chesapeake.