What’s New
Hello to all our partners! We are so thrilled to be starting a new year together as we continue our important work at the intersection of forests and water resources.
The Partnership enters 2026 with strong momentum as multi‑year, landscape‑scale restoration projects continue to expand across our region. Recent USFS Landscape Scale Restoration funding is supporting new riparian buffer demonstration sites, increased landowner outreach, and strengthened conservation work.
This year, the Partnership will advance shared regional priorities and support alignment between the forestry and water sectors across all 13 states. These efforts build on ongoing state‑level collaborations aimed at improving habitat connectivity, water quality, and overall watershed resilience.
Want to take a look at our 2025 accomplishments? Check out our 2025 Annual Report Infographic to learn about the impact we made last year!
Updates from Partners
We’ve seen your success story submissions and heard updates from across the Partnership. Take a look at some exciting news below!
Ohio’s Landscape Scale Restoration Program Grant at Work
Ohio’s new Landscape Scale Restoration grant is giving loggers and foresters practical support for doing solid, responsible work in the woods. The program offers cost‑share payments for completing Forestry Pollution Prevention Plans (FP3), following BMPs, stabilizing skid trails, and closing out landings the right way. There’s also help available for portable bridge rentals at stream crossings. The idea is simple: reward good stewardship and make it easier to protect soil, water, and forest health while keeping operations efficient. As participation grows, the benefits stack up – healthier forests, cleaner watersheds, and a stronger logging sector across the state.
Read the full story here!
USFS Forests to Faucets 2.0:
The USDA Forest Service’s updated Forests to Faucets 2.0 Assessment uses enhanced GIS data to show how small forested watersheds support surface drinking water and how those forests are threatened by development, insects and disease, wildland fire, and climate change. The refreshed dataset helps identify priority watersheds for protection or restoration, supports State Forest Action Plans and other planning tools, and highlights where payment for watershed services could strengthen source water stewardship. It also serves as a powerful educational tool, illustrating the essential link between healthy forests and clean, reliable drinking water.
Explore the National Forests to Faucets StoryMap!
The revised 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement was approved:
In December 2025, the Chesapeake Executive Council approved a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, ushering in the next era of Bay restoration. The updated agreement strengthens conservation commitments, renews goals through 2040, and introduces clearer, measurable outcomes across four focus areas: thriving habitats, clean water, healthy landscapes, and engaged communities. This milestone reinforces a long-term, collaborative vision for a healthier, more resilient Chesapeake Bay.
Read the Chesapeake Bay Program Press Release for more exciting information!
Improving Watershed Health – Long Island Sound Partnership:
The Long Island Sound Partnership is advancing efforts to improve watershed health by promoting sustainable land use, conserving forests and open spaces, and expanding riparian buffers that protect rivers and streams. These nature‑based strategies help reduce runoff, filter pollutants, support biodiversity, and increase climate resilience across the watershed. Current goals include establishing 100‑foot riparian buffers along 75% of waterways, permanently protecting 35% of the watershed by 2035, and tracking changes in forest cover and impervious surfaces to guide restoration and conservation actions. Through collaboration with local communities and use of up‑to‑date land‑use data, the Partnership aims to strengthen the ecological health of the Sound and the landscapes that sustain it.
For more information, visit the Long Island Sound Partnership Webpage.
Share Your Story
It’s your turn! Do you have a success, lesson learned, or project highlight you’d like to share in the next newsletter? Take 3 minutes to share your story in the form or by clicking the link below – your experiences help tell the story of this Partnership and inspire others across the region!
Partnership Webinar
Northeast Mid-Atlantic Partnership for Forests and Water March Webinar; March 11, 2026 | 2-3:30 PM EST
Join the Northeast Mid-Atlantic Partnership for Forests and Water for our first webinar of 2026. Come reconnect with partners, hear key updates, and help shape next steps as we regroup and move forward together!
Registration now open – sign up here!
Other Learning Opportunities
The following are being shared as upcoming learning opportunities that may be of interest to partners. While not hosted by the Partnership, they highlight relevant approaches, tools, and partnership models that support forest and watershed protection.
Forest Literacy: Understanding the Values of Trees, Forests, and Sustainability
This course is provided by Texas A&M AgriLife Learn which is a statewide education platform that delivers practical, research‑based training across agriculture, natural resources, food safety, public health, and community well‑being. It connects learners to self-paced courses, publications, workshops, and professional credits developed by Texas A&M AgriLife experts. See below for course information:
Learn forest basics in 2 hours! This first-of-its-kind, free, self-paced online course provides a clear and engaging introduction to forest ecosystems, their management, and conservation. Understand the big picture and why it matters. Enroll today!
Funding Opportunities
Several major funding opportunities are currently available through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, supporting on‑the‑ground restoration, community‑based watershed work, and landscape‑scale conservation across the region.
Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grants
NFWF is accepting pre-proposals for its Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grants, which support regional-scale partnerships working to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These grants help accelerate on‑the‑ground implementation of practices that improve water quality across priority basins.
INSR pre-proposals are due February 12, 2026 – Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants.
Small Watershed Grants
NFWF’s Small Watershed Grants program funds community‑based projects that restore habitat, manage agricultural and urban runoff, and improve stream health throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Grants support both implementation and planning efforts, helping local partners advance water‑quality improvements and strengthen watershed resilience.
For more information – Chesapeake Small Watershed Grants
Chesapeake WILD Grants
The Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) program provides funding for landscape‑scale conservation and restoration that benefits habitat, water quality, and community resilience. Administered through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, these grants help protect critical lands, expand habitat connectivity, and support long‑term ecological health across the region.
For more information – Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund.
Northeast Mid-Atlantic Partnership for Forests and Water 
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