10 reasons to be hopeful about the Chesapeake Bay in 2024

Rebounding oysters, shrinking dead zones and unprecedented funding gives us hope

By Jake Solyst |
An aerial view of a wide blue river and a forested landscape. In the foreground, a small white boat passes through the river leaving a wake.
A boat passes through the Elk River near Elk Neck State Park in Cecil County, Md., on Nov. 9, 2021. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program with aerial support by Southwings)
A blue crab sits on the wet wooden floor of a boat.
Blue crabs, oysters and fish can't survive in areas without enough oxygen. By reducing the size of the summer dead zone, we can increase available habitat for key species. (Photo by Carlin Stiehl/Chesapeake Bay Program)
A gloved hand holds a large oyster that is covered in smaller white baby oysters, or spat.
Oysters from a cage submerged in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore support baby oysters, known as spat. The oyster cages and other efforts, including Mr. Trash Wheel, are managed by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
An aerial view of a riparian buffer whose trees, in fall foliage, are separating a thin stream from surrounding farm fields.
A mix of mature forest and newly planted trees form a riparian buffer along Leibs Creek near Stewartstown, Pennsylvania. Much of the land is in an easement, which protects it from being developed. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Thick green vegetation grows under water, covering the bottom of a river bed.
Wild celery and other bay grasses grow in the Susquehanna Flats south of Havre de Grace, Md., on Aug. 2, 2019. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
An aerial view of a horseshoe bend in a river bordered by forests and a small housing development.
The Potomac River separates Berkeley County, W.Va., center, from Washington County, Maryland. (Photo by Marielle Scott/Chesapeake Bay Program with aerial support by Southwings)
A woman wearing a sunhat and overalls stands in an urban farm's garden plot and proudly holds up two bunches of onions as a man takes her photo with his smartphone.
In 2023, Backyard Basecamp received nearly $1 million to implement nature-based stormwater solutions and enhance stream daylighting to build resilience to flooding in East Baltimore and provide improved access to community green space. (Photo by Marielle Scott/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Three researchers on board a vessel in the Chesapeake Bay work together to haul and retrieve a buoy out of the water.
Jay Lazar, left, and a team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) work to retrieve a hypoxia monitoring buoy connected to sensors along inductive wire at the mouth of the Choptank River. (Photo by Marielle Scott/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Students wade in a stream, using small hand nets to collect samples of macroinvertebrates.
Sixth grade students from Old Middle School practice stream sampling for aquatic macroinvertebrates along a stretch of Severn Run in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
A man inspects a grove of recently planted trees in front of a cornfield, silo, and other agricultural buildings.
Ryan Davis of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay removes protective netting from young trees on a Plain sect farm near Christiana, Pennsylvania. Funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Alliance planted the trees in the spring of 2019 to form a 1-acre stream buffer. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
A man moves a tree whose root ball is wrapped in burlap down a small, grassy hill toward a sidewalk, where it will be planted along a residential street.
The Baltimore Tree Trust is committed to reforesting the city of Baltimore to reduce urban heat islands and protect local waterways. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

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