Chesapeake Bay Program - A Watershed Partnership

Bay Restoration

In the mid-1970s, U.S. Senator Charles Mathias (R-Md.) saw the Bay of his youth in distress. He began a fact-finding tour of marine science institutions around the Bay to try to understand the Chesapeake's decline. His efforts eventually led to the formation of the Chesapeake Bay Program, a multi-jurisdictional partnership that is working to restore and protect the Bay and its many resources. Since the Bay Program's creation, its federal and state partners have met many goals and continue to work toward others to restore the Bay.

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Restoring Water Quality

Bay Program partners are working with farmers, developers, homeowners and local governments to reduce pollutants from multiple sources and restore water quality.
Agriculture | Air Deposition | Wastewater Treatment | Land Development | Forested Lands | Erosion Prevention

Habitat Restoration

Restoring wildlife habitat for fish, birds, crabs and mammals is an essential part of Bay restoration. Proper habitats give animals and place to live and, in many cases, help improve water quality.
Restoring Bay Grasses | Wetlands Restoration | Fish Passage

Managing Fisheries

Ecosystem-based fishery management plans will help scientists better understand how stock abundance relates to prey availability, habitat quality and other factors.
Blue Crab Management | Oyster Management | American Shad Management | Atlantic Menhaden Management | Striped Bass Management

Protecting Watersheds

Restoration activities that take place upstream of the Bay, such as preserving land and restoring forest buffers, will benefit the Chesapeake and its many local waterways and diverse communities.
Watershed Management Plans | Land Preservation | Forest Buffer Restoration

Stewardship & Ed.

Formal and informal education opportunities like outreach and public access help all residents learn about and care for the Bay and its rivers.
Education & Interpretation | Citizen & Community Action | Public Access | Communications & Outreach

Bay Restoration Assessment:

Progress toward restoration of the Chesapeake, as assessed in March 2009:

• Reducing Pollution: Bay Program partners have implemented 62 percent of needed efforts to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution, which is a 3 percent increase from 2008.
• Restoring Habitats: Efforts to restore habitats throughout the watershed achieved modest gains in 2009, with progress toward the overall goal at 63 percent, an 8 percent increase from 2008.
• Managing Fisheries: Overall work to develop ecosystem-based fisheries management plans for blue crabs, oysters, striped bass, Atlantic menhaden and American shad stands at 51 percent.
• Protecting Watersheds: Progress was made toward protection of the thousands of smaller watersheds in the region during 2009, with a 2 percent gain toward the overall goal. Overall, the partnership is 77 percent of the way toward its goals for protecting watersheds.
• Fostering Stewardship: Programs to foster the public’s stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed resulted in a score of 67 percent, which reflects an increase of 2 percent from 2008.

To learn more about Bay restoration, visit our Bay restoration assessment section.