Why is it important to protect the Chesapeake Bay?
As such a large estuary, the Bay impacts the health and safety of thousands of species of animals and plants, as well as the 18 million people who live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem impacts the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.
Why is it important to clean the Chesapeake Bay?
The rivers and streams of the Chesapeake Bay provide critical habitat to fish and wildlife and a vital resource to people. Because these tributaries act like pipelines from our communities to the Bay—picking up pollutants as they flow through farms, suburbs and cities—we must limit the amount of pollution we generate.
How can we preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay?
Things You Can Do to Help Protect the Chesapeake Bay
- Plant Trees for the Bay.
- Dispose of marine wastes properly.
- Don’t dump anything down storm drains.
- Practice Careful Catch.
- Clean up litter on the shores of the Bay.
- Use BayScaping around your home.
- Buy a Chesapeake Bay License Plate.
- Grow an Oyster Garden.
What is the purpose of the Chesapeake Bay Program?
Chesapeake 2000 established 102 goals to reduce pollution, restore habitats, protect living resources, promote sound land use practices and engage the public in Bay restoration. It was also the first Bay agreement to emphasize ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Why is the Chesapeake Bay important to the economy?
The Bay provides countless opportunities and dollars in regards to its fishing, tourism, real estate, and shipping industries. Furthermore, working to restore this vital resource helps spur job growth and protect the countless livelihoods that depend on the Bay’s health.
Who benefits from the Chesapeake Bay?
In 2009 (before the Blueprint) the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay Region provided economic benefits totaling $107.2 billion annually. These benefits include air and water filtering, agricultural and seafood production, enhancement of property values, and protection from floods and hurricanes.
Why is the Bay important?
The bay provides vitally important habitats for wildlife, lots of recreational opportunities for people, and is an important fishery upon which both people and wildlife depend.
How does the Chesapeake Bay affect the environment?
These marshes provide important ecosystem functions by filtering pollution, protecting shorelines, and providing habitat. Sea-level rise will also affect salinity and distribution of freshwater in the estuary—and consequently the Bay’s animals and plants.
What is being done to protect the Chesapeake Bay?
Through Restoration The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is restoring native oysters, planting underwater grasses, and planting trees to restore the Bay’s natural filters.
Why was the Chesapeake Bay important to the history of early Virginia?
For many years leading up to the war, the Chesapeake Bay was a vital part of the Underground Railroad. This was not an actual railroad but a series of routes and hiding places that led from slave states to free states and Canada.
What is being done to restore the Chesapeake Bay?
In programs across the watershed, many of them conducted with CBF volunteers and partner organizations, CBF is restoring native oysters, planting underwater grasses, and planting trees, to restore the Bay’s natural filters. Check our calendar for upcoming volunteer opportunities.
What can we do to help protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed?
Five ways volunteers can help protect the Chesapeake Bay
- Pick up trash. Litter is often one of the most visible forms of pollution we encounter in our day-to-day lives.
- Plant a tree.
- Be a citizen scientist.
- Support wildlife.
- Educate others.
By protecting the Bay, we are ensuring their survival and thus reaping the benefits they offer. The Bay is also an important economic resource. Seafood, recreation and tourism generate significant revenue for all Chesapeake watershed states, producing jobs and boosting local economies.
What can we learn from the Chesapeake Bay?
The Chesapeake Bay, due to its sheer size and scope, could be an example for estuaries around the country and around the world, for better or worse. Every action we take on the land affects our local streams and rivers, and ultimately the Bay, so it’s up to us to take the correct actions – ones that will help,…
How does the Chesapeake Bay affect your local waterways?
The Chesapeake Bay has a vast watershed, which means that the water—and the pollution it carries—drains from parts of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and all of the District of Columbia and into the Bay. That means that the health of your local waterways, parks and forests are connected to the health of the Bay.
How do I contact the Chesapeake Bay Program?
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. 1750 Forest Drive Suite 130 Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel: (800) YOUR-BAY (968-7229) Fax: (410) 267-5777 © 2021 Chesapeake Bay Program All Rights Reserved Job Openings Contact Us Terms of Use