*Adapted from a blog by Molly Alton Mullins, Communications Director for the Chesapeake Bay Trust, March 2012

Restoring the Chesapeake Bay is a complex problem and the Bay watershed is huge. From  advocacy for laws and regulations to on-the-ground restoration to outreach and education, there  are a seemingly countless number of groups and initiatives that are actively trying to improve the  Bay’s overall health. While all are doing much-needed work, keeping all the Chesapeake Bay  organizations straight is sometimes tough. These leading organizations in the Bay watershed all  share basic goals but are different in terms of the unique role they play in the complex and  sometimes confusing Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. These ABC’s may help:[imageframe link=”https://www.allianceforthebay.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ACB_Logo_SmallwebReady.gif” ] Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: the Partner.
The Alliance brings  together individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments to find  collaborative solutions, to build a strong commitment to stewardship,  and to deliver programs that benefit the land, waters, and residents of  the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Through community efforts, such as the Local  Government Advisory Committee and the Citizens Advisory Committee, to  restoration work like the BayScaping and RiverWise programs, to educational  and outreach efforts like the Watershed Forum and Project Stream Clean, the  Alliance focuses on getting people involved in Bay restoration and protection. Chesapeake Bay Foundation: the Advocate.The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a  major voice for the Bay, serving as the organization that fights for solutions to  pollution problems that plague the Bay and its tributaries. Across the six-state  Chesapeake watershed, CBF serves as a watchdog and speaks out on behalf of  the Chesapeake Bay to business, government, and the public. At CBF, the focus is  on four key areas: restoration, advocacy, education and litigation. Chesapeake Bay Trust: the Grant Maker. The Trust is a nonprofit, grant-making  organization in Maryland supported in part through the sale of Bay license  plates. Since 1985, the Trust has awarded over $45 million through 8,000  diverse grants helping volunteers, teachers and students plant native trees,  remove trash from streams and rivers, create living shorelines and restore  wetlands, oyster reefs, and streamside buffers.[imageframe link=”http://www.chesapeakebay.net/” ] Chesapeake Bay Program: the Collaborator. The Program is a regional  partnership that sets policy goals and directs Bay restoration and protection. Bay  Program partners include federal and state agencies, local governments, NGOs  and academic institutions that advance science, policy and programs. The CBP is  a center for scientific data, monitoring, and public information on the Bay.[imageframe link=”http://www.chesbay.us/” ] Chesapeake Bay Commission: the Policy Makers. The Commission was created  in 1980 to coordinate Bay-related policy across state lines and develop shared  solutions. As a tri-state legislative assembly representing Maryland, Virginia and  Pennsylvania, the Commission’s leadership covers a full spectrum of Bay issues  from managing living resources and conserving land, to protecting water quality.