Protect and Restore Underwater Grasses
Grasses for the Masses | Plantings | Additional Resources
Workshop Registration
Our 2010 Grasses Program has completed.
Grasses for the Masses
You can help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's rivers by participating in CBF's Grasses for the Masses program.
Participants in the program grow wild celery (Vallisneria americana), a type of underwater grass, in a simple growth system in their homes for 10-12 weeks. After 10-12 weeks of growth, participants will get together to plant their grasses in select local rivers to bolster grass populations and help restore the Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation conducts workshops where participants will be given instructions and the tools necessary to grow the underwater grasses themselves.
Participants of the program will receive:
- a simple aquaculture system
- instructions and support
- seeds and program materials
- access to an on-line support network
Participants will need to provide:
- $40 program fee
- Sand and soil needed to plant the grass seeds
- 2 light bulbs
- Space (4'x4') to set-up the growth system; we suggest an area near an outlet with a steady temperature
General Program Timeline:
- Workshops - early to mid February
- Grow-out period - February to May
- Plantings - early to mid May
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Plantings
Attending a planting is a key component of the program and very rewarding. Plantings occur at restoration sites during the month of May, after about 12 weeks of home-growth. Participants will attend one of the grass plantings where they will join CBF staff and other growers in planting their grasses.
CBF staff have carefully selected three locations in Virginia where we plant wild celery grown in the Grasses for the Masses program. Planting underwater grass is an activity that requires a state permit. CBF maintains a permit for each of the three planting sites and it is important that the grasses produced through the Grasses for the Masses program are only planted in these designated areas.
Our planting sites include:
Mason Neck State Park on the Potomac River, in Fairfax County, Virginia
Westover Plantation on the James River, in Charles City County, Virginia
James River National Wildlife Refuge on the James River, in Prince George County, Virginia
Planting Guidelines
To ensure the safety of all volunteers at the plantings, as well as the quality of the experience and the survival of the grasses, we ask that each Grasses for the Masses participant please be aware of and abide by the following guidelines during each grass planting:
- Only 3 children or students (under the age of 18) allowed at the planting per grass kit.
- Everyone under the age of 18 will need to have a CBF waiver form signed by a parent or guardian before the planting event.
- Volunteers 18 years old and above will need to sign a CBF waiver form, which will be sent to each volunteer before the planting.
- During the planting event, everyone 16 years old and younger, will be required to wear a personal flotation device (i.e. life vest) provided by CBF while in the water.
- Each person 16 years old and younger will need to be accompanied by an adult in the water and supervised by an adult while on land. We will adhere to a strict 1 child : 1 adult ratio during the plantings.
Grasses for the Masses 2009 - overview
Last year we had 115 participants grow grasses in the program. We planted over 9,000 underwater grasses between the three restoration sites on the Potomac and James Rivers. Check out some of the photos from our 2010 underwater grass plantings!
Also in 2009, we added volunteer leadership positions to help expand the program regionally. Regional Coordinators in the Grasses for the Masses program are volunteers who have participated in the Grasses program for at least one year and are dedicated to helping expand and improve the program. Being a Regional Coordinator involves organizing and running a Grasses for the Masses workshop in your locality and recruiting others to take part in the program. Thanks to our 2009 Regional Coordinators we were able to expanded the program to new areas in Northern, Eastern, and Central Virginia!
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Additional Resources
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