The Forest Below: Underwater Grass Planting Along the Potomac

Underwater grasses are an important ingredient in the life of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and an estimated 20 percent of the bay's 400,000 acres of underwater grasses are left. On Saturday, dozens of local volunteers with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation planted wild celery at a planting site near the Potomac River shoreline at . 

"Underwater grass is just like the trees in a forest. It's the forest underneath the water," said Jess Barton, a grassroots coordinator with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. "Underwater grasses help reduce erosion and they hold in sediment; they provide a habitat for a number of species that like to hide from predators. If there's too much algae and not enough underwater grasses, it can be harmful to a watershed."

It was Sharon Ruggieri's fourth year in a row to plant the grasses. "I love the underwater micro-communities," said Ruggieri, an Arlington County Public Schools teacher.   

Underwater grasses also mean another kind of green—more cash—for Virginia. "A healthy bay with clear water and abundant underwater grasses will produce abundant seafood and thriving recreation and tourism industries," according to Chesapeakebay.net. "Over the years, SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) growth in the Chesapeake Bay has been hindered by runoff containing nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous and sediment."

So, have you tried improving your local watershed? If not, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is looking for volunteers for the 24th Annual Clean the Bay Day on June 2. The cleanup starts at noon and Patch will be there. Will you?