Estuarine research is coming of age in terms of scientific credibility. For years, many scientists engaged in oceanographic or limnological studies considered estuarine research as a spin off or splinter effort of blue-water or freshwater work. Now, the realization is growing that estuaries are unique areas, worthy of focused attention. This recognition comes none too soon. Coastal demographic pressures and readily visible degradation of habitats, living resources, and water quality, have created a strong public outcry to “do something” about coastal and estuarine pollution. The Chesapeake Bay area is fortunate in that estuarine research has been nurtured and encouraged by the regional states, which established laboratories dedicated to estuarine studies of the Bay as far back as the 1920’s. In the past decades, interaction of Bay scientists, resource managers, and the public has both nurtured and been nurtured by major federally funded Chesapeake Bay studies. The most recent of these studies was funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and resulted in a coordinated federal, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and District of Columbia Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection Program. This program is considered a model for estuarine management both nationally and internationally.