Behavior and the Bay: The Human Dimension of Chesapeake Bay Restoration Collectively, we have been working towards the restoration of Chesapeake Bay for around five decades; in fact, CRC celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. We have seen a lot of progress, but we also still have a long way to go. What needs [...]
PFAS in the Chesapeake Bay Region Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals,’ have been manufactured and used in a variety of industrial and consumer products in the United States since the 1940s, but have only recently received broad public interest. Numerous PFAS are present in the environment and have the [...]
Invasive Species: Getting into the Weeds (and Bugs) You’ve likely heard about invasive species before; do nutria, phragmites, emerald ash borer, or blue catfish ring a bell? These are all commonly known invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay region, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. The Chesapeake Bay Program notes that [...]
The Science and the Story of the Conowingo Dam The Conowingo Dam has been a topic of heated discussion for decades. In that time, we have learned more and more about the system and made decisions according to that learning. Along with the science behind the issue, the story of the Conowingo has developed [...]
Moving Beyond Concern: Emerging Management for Contaminants We first noted substances negatively affecting the health of humans and the environment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed decades ago: mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and others. We now have emerging compounds of concern such as pharmaceuticals and hormones. Management of these contaminants brings a unique set [...]
Life After Internships How do we make sure that interns are getting the most out of their internships, both for sake of the intern's future career path and filling the pipeline with a competent workforce? Summer internships should have implications beyond August, with impacts to the intern and the field. One tool for mentors and [...]
Changing the Face of Bay Restoration and Science The environmental workforce that will inhabit and take care of the Bay area will be critical in bringing the full range of solutions to the table to face the challenges of the future. There are new faces emerging, including the new network of Bay professionals being [...]
A Restoration Conversation with the Nansemond Indian Nation and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe Our community within the Chesapeake Bay watershed includes tens of thousands of people who identify as American Indian. We all have a common goal of restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. How can we better listen to, engage with, [...]
Minding and Mending Our Streams The Chesapeake Bay starts in the freshwater streams of the watershed: small trickles of water join rushing rivers that eventually bring their billions of gallons of water to the Bay. The health of streams is vital to our communities, our wildlife, and the overall water quality of the larger [...]
Chesapeake Waters and Their Caretakers: Three Stories From Three Perspectives To celebrate Earth Day, we reflected on decades of Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts informed by the journeys of three panelists with multidimensional experiences in various components of the Bay health effort, including the Bay Program, research, and activism. We asked our community to reflect on [...]
