Congress has doled out nearly a quarter of a million dollars for efforts to restore and protect habitats in the Chesapeake Bay region.

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the minority whip of the House, announced the seven grants in a news release Thursday. The grants are given under the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants program. Since 2001, the program has brought in $10 million to the region, Hoyer said.