Environmental Concern

What Environmental Concern does

Environmental Concern Inc. (EC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1972 by Dr. Ed Garbisch and headquartered in Easton, Maryland, focused on wetland restoration, living shoreline construction, and stormwater management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The company operates three integrated divisions: a Restoration design-build arm that plans, permits, constructs, plants, and monitors freshwater wetland and tidal salt marsh projects (including living shorelines based on a proprietary bioengineering protocol); a Native Plant Nursery that propagates over 100 species from locally collected seed for both internal restoration use and wholesale/retail trade; and an Outreach & Education arm that delivers professional training courses (wetland delineation, plant ID, hydric soils) co-taught with Coastal Resources Inc., the WOW! curriculum for K-12 educators, and community programs like the Eastern Shore Seed Stewards. It generates revenue from six streams: restoration contracts with government agencies, municipalities, conservation organizations, and private landowners; wholesale and retail plant sales; professional course fees ($700-$1,500 per course); low-cost educational publications; donations (with tiers up to $10,000); and grant-based project funding (e.g., NFWF, ARRA). The company holds a Maryland Marine Contractors License and is an Approved Technical Assistance Provider for NFWF, giving it privileged access to grant-funded restoration work. EC has restored more than 50 miles of shoreline since founding, with documented signature projects ranging from 670 to 4,000 linear feet of living shoreline and 400,000+ plants installed on individual jobs. The organization employs 101-250 people and serves customers across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Name

Environmental Concern

Legal name

Environmental Concern Inc.

Website

https://wetland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Environmental Concern is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1972 that provides wetland restoration, living shoreline construction, and native plant nursery services to government agencies, municipalities, and private landowners in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wetland Restoration Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Wetland restoration services
• Living shoreline construction
• Native plant nursery
• Stormwater management
• Environmental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Michaels

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Restoration Project Contracts: Design-build contracts for wetland restoration, living shoreline construction, and stormwater management projects with government agencies, municipalities, conservation organizations, and private property owners. Revenue from professional services including surveying, design, permitting, construction, planting, and monitoring.
2. Wholesale Native Plant Sales: Wholesale native wetland and upland plant sales to contractors, landscape professionals, and organizations working on restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. $100 minimum order, plants available in various sizes including plugs and gallon containers.
3. Retail Native Plant Sales: Retail sales of native plants by appointment to homeowners, garden clubs, and conservation enthusiasts.
4. Professional Development Courses: Professional training courses in wetland delineation, plant identification, and hydric soils evaluation offered to consultants, government agencies, higher education, and non-profits. Pricing ranges from $700-$1500 per course.
5. Educational Publications: Sale of educational materials including WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands curriculum guide ($25), Wetlands 101 for Kids CD ($7), and WOW! Activity Pages CD ($6).
6. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting wetland restoration and conservation efforts. Environmental Concern is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Environmental Concern provides design-build wetland restoration services, living shoreline construction using a proprietary bioengineering protocol, and bioretention/rain garden stormwater management for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The organization also operates the nation's first wholesale native wetland plant nursery propagating over 100 native species, and delivers professional wetland science training courses and K-12 educational publications. Projects range from freshwater wetlands and tidal salt marshes to shoreline erosion control for government agencies, municipalities, contractors, and private property owners.

Product overview

Environmental Concern operates as a unified environmental restoration and education organization with three interconnected core offerings: Wetland Restoration Services (including Living Shoreline Construction and Bioretention/Rain Garden design-build), a Native Plant Nursery (supplying wholesale and retail native wetland and upland plants), and Outreach & Education Programs (including Professional Courses and the Eastern Shore Seed Steward Program). The nursery's plant production directly supports the restoration division's projects, while educational programs disseminate knowledge about wetlands. The organization also produces curriculum materials like the WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands guide and Wetlands 101 for Kids CD for K-12 educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wetland Restoration Services Professional design-build wetland restoration services for freshwater wetlands and tidal salt marshes covering planning, design, permitting, construction, planting, and monitoring. Targeted at government agencies, municipalities, conservation organizations, and private property owners in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
• Living Shoreline Construction Bioengineering-based living shoreline solutions using native plants and stone sills to control shoreline erosion without hard armor, based on the protocol developed by founder Dr. Ed Garbisch. Targeted at waterfront property owners and government agencies facing eroding shorelines.
• Bioretention and Rain Garden Services Stormwater best management practices utilizing plants to filter sediment and treat runoff, designed for both residential rain gardens and larger commercial bioretention facilities. Targeted at property developers, municipalities, and homeowners needing stormwater management.
• Wholesale Native Plant Nursery Wholesale native wetland and upland plant sales to contractors, landscape professionals, and organizations working on restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Over 100 native species propagated from locally collected seed with $100 minimum order, sold in plugs and gallon containers.
• Retail Native Plant Sales Retail sales of native wetland and upland plants to homeowners, garden clubs, and conservation enthusiasts. Available by appointment at the Easton, Maryland nursery.
• Professional Wetland Science Courses Professional development training for wetland consultants, government agencies, higher education, and non-profit staff. Courses include Basic Wetland Delineation (5-day, US Army Corps of Engineers compliant), Winter Woody Plant ID, Grasses/Sedges/Rushes, Wetland Plant ID, and Evaluating Hydric Soils. Pricing ranges from $700 to $1,500 per course. Co-taught with Coastal Resources Inc.
• Educational Publications Educational materials for K-12 educators including the WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands 348-page interdisciplinary curriculum guide ($25), Wetlands 101 for Kids PowerPoint CD ($7), and WOW! Activity Pages CD ($6).
• Eastern Shore Seed Steward Program Community engagement program for individuals, families, garden clubs, 4-H groups, and organizations to harvest native plant seeds for the EC nursery. Includes plant discounts, seed harvesting education, and habitat signs; $10 donation requested.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored more than 50 miles of shoreline in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed since 1972
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Coastal Resources Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1972EC and Coastal Resources Inc. use their shared experience and resources to offer high-level professional training to students, practitioners, and consultants. Courses are co-taught by wetland experts from both organizations, combining practical restoration experience with technical expertise.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coastal Resources, Inc. Maryland-based ecological consulting firm specializing in tidal wetland restoration and shoreline protection. Partners with EC to co-teach professional wetland courses and shares similar mission, methodology, and geographic footprint.
• Biohabitats, Inc. Ecological restoration firm focused on river, wetland, and coastal habitat restoration across the U.S. Directly comparable in offering design-build restoration services, native plant propagation, and ecosystem-scale work.
• Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (now Davey Resource Group): Mid-Atlantic environmental consulting firm acquired by Davey Tree; provides wetland delineation, permitting, mitigation, and stream/shoreline restoration. Closest historical peer in scale and geography, now operating with deeper corporate backing.
• Wildlands Engineering, Inc. Southeast U.S.-based ecological restoration firm providing stream, wetland, and shoreline design-build services. Comparable in service breadth (planning through monitoring) and target client base (municipalities, conservation districts, private landowners).

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis NV: Global design and consultancy with significant environmental and water practices. Competes at the upper end of large ecological restoration RFPs and brings international technical depth and balance-sheet capacity.
• Stantec Inc. Global professional services firm with environmental services including wetland and habitat restoration. Bundles restoration into multi-disciplinary infrastructure bids, increasing competitive pressure on larger Mid-Atlantic projects.
• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global conservation nonprofit, often the funder/convener of major watershed restoration initiatives. Indirect competitor on large-scale projects and a potential partner given EC's operational implementation capabilities.
• Tetra Tech, Inc. Global consulting and engineering firm with a substantial environmental practice including water resources and ecological restoration. Competes for larger restoration contracts and brings multi-disciplinary scale EC cannot match.
• EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. Mid-Atlantic-based environmental consulting firm providing ecological restoration, wetland assessment, and water resource services. Adjacent competitor for government and private restoration contracts in EC's core region.

Regional players

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Regional nonprofit advocacy and restoration organization focused on Chesapeake Bay restoration. Shares geography and mission with EC; primarily an advocate, funder, and educator but also operates restoration programs that overlap EC's service territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ECWetland
• Facebookfacebook.com/EnvironmentalConcernInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/envconcern
• Xx.com/EnvConcern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environmental Concern