Press Release Archive

$9.8 Million will Reduce Pollution, Improve Water Quality in Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Va.)

Ashland, VA – The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have announced the recipients of $9.8 million in grants for restoration, conservation and environmental outreach initiatives across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 45 projects will leverage more than $19.6 million in matching funds to lower pollution and improve the health of rivers, streams and the Bay.

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$9.8 Million will Reduce Pollution, Improve Water Quality in Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Md.)

The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have announced the recipients of $3 million in grants for restoration, conservation and environmental outreach initiatives across the Maryland and the District of Columbia. The 13 projects will leverage more than $3.8 million in matching funds to lower pollution and improve the health of rivers, streams and the Bay.

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Bay Program Partners Invite Watershed Groups, Citizens to Participate in Creating Plans

Today, Chesapeake Bay Program partners opened new online avenues for individuals, watershed organizations, community groups and other interested parties to become more engaged in the conservation, restoration and protection of their rivers, landscapes and the Bay. Over the next nine months, partners will be crafting the management strategies for meeting the goals of the recently-signed Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Those who sign up to participate can find out about what is being done, what needs to be done and have the opportunity to offer their input in these plans for supporting thriving landscapes and clean waters throughout the region.

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2014 CBSAC Report on Blue Crab Management

The newly released 2014 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report encourages fishery managers around the Chesapeake Bay to take a risk-averse approach to blue crab management this year, due primarily to a decrease in the number of female crabs in the Bay. This advice is one of several scientifically developed suggestions in this annual assessment, developed by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC), a fisheries management group that includes scientists and representatives from federal and state government as well as academic institutions.

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Six Governors, D.C. Mayor, EPA Administrator and Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair Sign Agreement

This afternoon, the Chesapeake Executive Council—which represents the seven watershed jurisdictions, a tri-state policy group and federal agencies—signed the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, committing Chesapeake Bay Program partners to a set of interrelated goals to advance the restoration, conservation and protection of the Bay, its tributaries and the lands that surround them.

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Thirty-six new public access sites opened along Chesapeake rivers and streams

Last year, Chesapeake Bay Program partners opened 36 new public access sites along rivers and streams in the watershed, bringing the total number of access sites in the region to 1,208. In fact, more public access sites were opened in 2013 than in previously tracked years as states work to meet the public’s consistently high demand for ways to get on the water. Across the watershed, new trails, beaches and boat ramps will allow people to walk, play, swim, fish and launch their paddleboats, sailboats and powerboats into the Bay and its rivers.

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Science Shows Restoration Efforts Can Improve Local Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay

Pollution-reducing practices can improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, according to new research from the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. In a report released today, a number of case studies show that “best management practices”—including upgrading wastewater treatment plants, lowering vehicle and power plant emissions and reducing runoff from farmland—have lowered nutrients and sediment in local waterways.

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