CBNERR has been identified as a key partner in a number of federal and state initiatives, these include: (1) the Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Research Reserve System (VECRRS), and (2) the International Sister Research Reserve Program initiated by NOAA. While these programs are outside the primary mission of the Reserve, they do provide additional opportunities to support Reserve related goals with respect to research and monitoring, education and stewardship of coastal resources. Funds to directly support these programs have been limited and the Reserve, to the extent possible, strives to achieve Special Program goals and objectives as funding sources and opportunities present themselves.
Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Research Reserve System
The VECRRS was created in 1999 by the General Assembly of Virginia (Code of Virginia 28.2-1103 and 28.1-1104). The mission of VECRRS is to establish a system of protected sites representative of the Virginia's estuarine and coastal lands in which research and long-term monitoring can be conducted in support of the Commonwealth's coastal resource management efforts. VIMS is responsible for administration of the VECRRS, and to the extent possible, VECCRS initiatives should be coordinated with CBNERR. Current VECRRS focus areas include specific sites within the Dragon Run watershed and the tidal freshwater region of the James River.
Tianjin Palaeocoastal and Wetland National Nature Reserve
The Chesapeake Bay Virginia and Maryland NERRs have developed a formal relationship with the Tianjin Palaeocoastal and Wetland National Nature Reserve (TPWNNR) in the People’s Republic of China (PCR) as part of a US-PRC cooperative agreement (US-China Marine and Fishery Science and Technology Agreement Protocol for Cooperation 1979). The TPWNNR was founded and ratified in October 1992 and is one of seven national nature reserves in China administered by the State Oceanic Administration. The Reserve is located on Bohai Bay and incorporates 10,750 ha (26,560 ac) within its core areas and buffer zones. Significant natural resources of the Reserve include cheniers or shelled dykes, relic oyster reefs (2000-7000 years old), and expansive wetlands that include twelve plant communities (66 species) and a large number and variety of animal species.