Shared Learning and Informed Decisions: CRC’s Convening Capacity How can the Chesapeake Bay community learn together to support more informed decision-making? For CRC, the answer is convening. This September, we celebrated five years since the first CRC Roundtable. Launched during pandemic lockdowns to provide space for conversation, the platform has only grown in reach [...]
A Foundation for Restoration: K-12 Environmental Literacy Environmental change in the Chesapeake Bay relies on the active support of the people living in the watershed. Environmental literacy is the ability and disposition to apply knowledge and skills to make environmentally beneficial decisions. With the future of the Bay resting in the hands of the [...]
Pavement and Paddleboards: Swimmable Urban Waterways Urban areas are gathering places, making them vibrant centers of culture and innovation. However, gathering so many people in one place also leads to challenges with impervious surfaces, waste, and toxic contaminants. Recreation on our urban waterways has not been historically feasible. Today, many groups are working towards [...]
A River Runs Orange: Acid Mine Drainage in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed If your local waterway looks more “rusty” than usual, acid mine drainage may be to blame. Acid mine drainage (AMD) occurs when groundwater carries toxic metals from abandoned mine sites into streams and rivers, often turning them an alarming shade of orange. [...]
Investing in Clean Water: "Pay-for-Performance" Based Approaches to Watershed Restoration For years, states, localities and stakeholders have focused on implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce nutrient inputs to Chesapeake Bay. While this strategy has yielded some successes, it has prioritized process over outcomes, leading to inconsistent results across the watershed. Now, new programs [...]
The Value of Restoration: Selling the Economic and Ecological Benefits of Oysters What is the not-so-secret superhero of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem? Oysters, of course! When we invest in the restoration of these incredible bivalves, we ensure a future Bay with cleaner water, more resilient shorelines, and thriving local economies driven by fisheries and [...]
The Future of the Bay: Impacts of Changes to Federal Priorities on the Chesapeake Watershed The new White House administration has initiated major changes in leadership, policy priorities, and federal budgets across multiple agencies. What are the implications of this on Chesapeake Bay restoration and other environmental initiatives? Speakers: Kristin Reilly, Director, Choose [...]
Implementing clean water solutions for agriculture in Pennsylvania In 2016, 2019, and 2022, leaders from Pennsylvania’s agricultural and environmental communities participated in a series of “Pennsylvania in the Balance” conferences. In the early years, participants generated creative new ideas to position agriculture in the state as a solution for clean water. Convened by the [...]
