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 [...]
Alien Invaders in the Chesapeake Bay From plants to insects to fish, it is estimated that there are more than 200 known or possible invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These species, whether introduced accidentally or purposefully, can cause irreparable harm to native species in the region by competing for [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Citizen Science for the Win-Win Our December webinar took place on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 from 12-1pm and we discussed citizen science with two of the Bay region’s most far-reaching citizen science programs: the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative (CMC) and Chesapeake DolphinWatch. During the first half of the webinar, our invited speakers provided an overview of their respective programs. For the second half of the [...]
Democratizing Science in the Chesapeake Bay Citizen science creates a participatory pathway for the public to engage in the scientific process and data collection. Through our conversations with the community, we’ve learned that the term “citizen science” can be exclusive and wanted to clarify the use of the term in this article. Citizenship, or the [...]
Global Impact of Microplastics Microplastics are any type of plastic fragment that is less than 5mm in length. These microscopic particles can be specifically fabricated for products like facial scrubs, or broken down from larger pieces of plastic debris. There has been growing concern from scientists and the public about the impact these microscopic fragments [...]
Shoreline and pier at the Naval Weapons Station Norfolk in Yorktown The Chesapeake Research Consortium is funding the design of a nearshore habitat restoration project on the York River in Virginia. The $40,000 in funding support will enable the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to develop a detailed blueprint and monitoring plan for an [...]
