CURRENT PROJECTS

Reel Rewards Invasive Fish Bounty Program

Partners: EJJI, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership

Funding Source: NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants

This project is bringing nature-based solutions to the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River for increased resiliency of the ecosystem to climate change and community connection to the river.

 
Reel Rewards Program

Within this restoration project, EJJI is managing the “Reel Rewards Program” where we will provide local fishers with a monetary reward in exchange for the heads of invasive species. Click here to learn more and get involved! 

Breathe Baltimore - Air Quality Testing in South Baltimore

Partners: EJJI, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

SERC and EJJI has deployed 14 air quality sensors across South Baltimore during from 2024 - early 2025. These sensors measure particulate pollution, ozone, and other emissions. Local stewards help collect and share data collected. Local air quality data is available to the public. Click here to learn more.

Water Quality Testing - Chesapeake Water Watch

Partners: EJJI, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

The Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative is partnering with Chesapeake Water Watch to bring water quality testing to South Baltimore and other communities. Click here to learn more.

Floating Wetlands at the Middle Branch Marina

Partners: EJJI, Baltimore ToolBank, Grow Home

Through Grow Home programming and the Baltimore ToolBank's resources, we have built and deployed floating wetlands at our marina site. They will provide habitat for fish, birds, and other aquatic life and improve the water quality by filtering contaminants and removing nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen).

Ecosystem Services of Sessile Suspension Feeders

Partners: Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology (IMET)

Led by Eric Schott, Ph.D., of IMET, this project seeks to quantify the ecosystem services of organisms, like the dark false mussel and bay barnacle, that readily settle and grow on surfaces. The Schott lab has deployed biohabitats at the Middle Branch Marina for organisms to settle on and will collect water quality data, water samples for chlorophyll a, underwater videography, and organisms for microscopic observation. 

Shell Yeah!: Technology for Growing Shellfish 

Shell Yeah!, recently founded by Moriah Baybrick, is a company developing practical solutions for sustainable shellfish aquaculture and restoration. They are currently conducting prototype testing at our Middle Branch Marina Site.

Contact: Moriah Baybrick, moriah@shellyeah.us 

Uptake of Contaminants by Oysters

Led by Carsten Prasse, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University this project seeks to understand the role filter feeders can play in contaminant removal in the Baltimore Harbor. The Prasse lab currently has oysters deployed at our Middle Branch Marina site and at other locations in the Middle Branch.

Contact: Carsten Prasse, Ph.D., carsten.prasse@jhu.edu

ICARE M.S. Student - Research on Oysters (March – October 2022) 

Thesis Title: Oyster gardening in the Baltimore Harbor: Quantifying oyster growth and influencing factors

As part of the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) at UMBC, Jessica Diaz deployed oysters at our Middle Branch Marina site and at other locations in the Baltimore Harbor to establish a baseline for oyster growth. Her goal was to understand the variations in oyster growth between sites and how water quality and the oyster’s food source (phytoplankton) influenced growth. 

Contact: Jessica Diaz, M.S., jessica.dv405@gmail.com

SERC Coastal Disease Ecology Lab (September – October 2022)

The Coastal Disease Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center deployed market-size oysters at our Middle Branch Marina site. This was part of their broader project to understand if oysters can be used to track how human pathogens are moving in the Chesapeake Bay.