Bay Journal

Don’t Forget Where You Came From: the case for a grassroots surge in celebrating the 50th Earth Day

As a thirty-year-old, I cannot personally speak about the first Earth Day. But I do know that 50 years ago we had no Environmental Protection Agency, no Clean Water Act, and appallingly inadequate proto-versions of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Air Acts. Rivers were burning, DDT was sprayed from airplanes across America, and people …

Read More

Project Clean Stream: A great way to rally local action

Spring marks the beginning of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s annual stream clean up program, Project Clean Stream (PCS). Through PCS, the Alliance offers hands-on opportunities through our partnership with residents, local businesses, environmental organizations, local governments, community groups, houses of worship, schools and universities, to come together to take action to restore clean waters …

Read More

Hindsight is 2020: To Make Sure The Next 10 Years Count, Include Everyone

To fight for change tomorrow, we need to build resilience today. — Sheryl Sandberg Happy 2020! As we leave the 2010s behind, I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s in store for the Chesapeake Bay movement in the next 10 years, especially as our movement evolves and becomes more representative of the 18 million people …

Read More

Correctional Conservation Collaborative Trains New Generation of Riparian Forest Buffer Professionals

On a sweltering July afternoon, a handful of conservation professionals walked through a cornfield in Huntingdon County Pennsylvania, heading towards a stream. While that alone would be commonplace, this cadre was accompanied by a group that was far from ordinary: 20 inmates at Huntingdon State Correctional Institution and their correctional officers. They stopped a few …

Read More

Taking Simple Actions for the Chesapeake

During the first week of June, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, as well as environmental organizations, communities, businesses, and local governments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, celebrated Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. The week was designated in 2016 by the Chesapeake Bay Commission for activities, educational programs, and events to celebrate our nation’s largest estuary …

Read More

Five Reasons to Know the Health of Your Local Stream

Many of us think of spring and summer as the time the birds start singing, flowers start blooming, and the weather warms up. In the water quality monitoring world, the season also means we are dusting off our secchi disks and getting our sampling equipment ready for a new sampling season! At the Alliance for …

Read More

More Than Just A Stream Cleanup

Every year between March and the first week of June, tens of thousands of volunteers come together to clean up their local communities as a part of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Project Clean Stream (PCS) —the largest trash cleanup initiative in the Chesapeake Bay region! For over 15 years, the support provided by …

Read More

Resolve to do the best you can to advance clean water in 2018

As we start to turn the page on 2017, I wanted to brainstorm some ideas for resolutions we can share as a community for 2018. The new year is a time to reflect on where we’ve been and what we’ve accomplished in the past year and to commit to new habits and practices moving forward. …

Read More

Safeguarding Against Stormwater: Maintaining RiverSmart Homes Best Management Practices

Stormwater runoff is the fastest growing source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Increased development throughout the watershed has reduced the natural ground cover which is equipped to absorb and filter water during storm events. Asphalt, concrete, or other impervious structures such as homes or commercial buildings are replacing these natural ground covers. These impervious …

Read More

Birds, Bugs, and Trees for the Bay

On a warm Saturday morning this fall, over 30 landowners gathered on a property in Baltimore County, Maryland to learn a little about promoting the birds and the bees. Literally. The workshop, titled “Get to Know Your Backyard Habitat”, invited local residents to see an example of stellar wildlife habitat tended by landowners Pascale Meraldi …

Read More