This past week on October 29th and 30th, we hosted our 15th Annual Watershed Forum! We want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s unique, virtual Forum. Over 425 people attended throughout the two days of online sessions.

Highlights from the Watershed Forum include a live panel and Q&A with Elizabeth Rush, the author of Rising: Dispatches from a New American Shore, who taught us about the effects of sea level rise on communities on the shores of the U.S. and what’s next for those communities.

Thanks to the virtual setting, we were able to host an additional plenary session as well. On Thursday, we heard from climate artists Linda Cheung and Hoesy Corona, who showcased the intersection of climate change and culture through the lens of art.

Throughout the two half days of the Virtual Forum, we hosted 20 different sessions for attendees to choose from with a wide range of topics all of which revolved around our theme, Climate Resiliency in a Changing Chesapeake Watershed.

Aside from hosting our Forum entirely virtually, we also created some new and unique networking opportunities. On Tuesday evening the Chesapeake Bay Trust hosted a roundtable discussion for young professionals interested in their Chesapeake Conservation Corps program. We also heard from Mariah Davis, with the Choose Clean Water Coalition, who hosted two panel discussions focusing on Choose Clean Water’s Young Professionals of Color Program.

Additionally, the Forum offered one-on-one coaching sessions with Brenna Goggin from the River Network for individual personal development, as well as Field Liaison Proposal consulting office hours with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help organization representatives learn how to write stronger grant proposals.

Once again, we want to thank everyone who participated in our first ever Virtual Forum! We appreciate your attendance, and hope to see you all in person at next year’s Watershed Forum.