Chesapeake Bay Program

Our regional partnership guides the restoration and protection of the nation’s largest estuary.

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What guides us:  Chesapeake Watershed Agreement

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement‍

Learn More About the Chesapeake Bay

The Watershed

Thousands of creeks, streams and rivers deliver fresh water to the Bay from a region that spans 64,000 square miles.

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Viewed from a scenic overlook, the rural meeting place of the North and West branches of the Susquehanna River features multiple road and rail bridges.

The Food Web

A balanced food web supports a productive ecosystem, as energy flows from the Bay's plants to its predators.

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A snowy egret scoops a fish out of the water.

The Issues

Complex problems face the Bay, its watershed and the plants, animals and people that live here.

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A farm field with lighting striking in the background, just before a rain storm.

The Facts

From trivia about its geography to facts about its flora and fauna, the Bay has a lot to teach us.

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A Chesapeake Bay blue crab sits on the wooden base of a boat.

Field Guide to the Chesapeake

Explore the Field Guide to learn about more than 300 species of birds, fish, insects, invertebrates, mammals, plants, reptiles and amphibians that live in the Chesapeake Bay region.

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Critter of the month

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Switchgrass is a tall, native prairie grass that benefits birds and pollinators.

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