2015 Press Releases

Today, the Chesapeake Bay Program unveiled a new story map showing how the Clean Air Act regulations, as well as decades of enforcement actions, have led to a steady decline in air pollution across the Chesapeake region. In particular, Cleaner Air, Cleaner Bay can help people see how sources of pollution and actions by partners, and specifically the Environmental Protection Agency, have led to significant reductions in airborne nitrogen, a major source of pollution that impacts the land and water in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced the recipients of a record $11.5 million in grants for restoration, conservation and environmental outreach across the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s six states and the District of Columbia. The 44 projects will leverage more than $22.2 million in matching funds for a total of $33 million to support and advance the efforts of partners and localities to achieve a cleaner Chesapeake Bay.

Between 2013 and 2014, underwater grass abundance in the Chesapeake Bay rose 27 percent. The 75,835-acre total is 41 percent of the goal set forth in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement: to restore 185,000 acres of underwater grasses Bay-wide.

This afternoon, the Chesapeake Executive Council announced the release of twenty-five management strategies outlining the Chesapeake Bay Program’s plans for achieving the goals and outcomes of the landmark Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, advancing the restoration, conservation and protection of the Bay, its tributaries and the surrounding lands. To further accelerate these efforts the Executive Council also:

Today, the Chesapeake Bay Program welcomes it’s first-ever Climate Change Coordinator, a position managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office. Zoe Johnson will lead efforts to develop climate change policies in support of the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, helping partners work together to increase the resiliency of the Bay watershed in the face of the adverse effects of changing environmental conditions.

While blue crab numbers increased from last year, a report encourages resource managers to maintain a “risk-averse” approach to setting regulations in order to promote healthy numbers of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crabs in the future.

Seventeen public access sites open along Chesapeake rivers and streams

Shad Abundance Surpasses Restoration Goals in Potomac, Rappahannock Rivers

Trends Show Jurisdictions Reducing Pollution Entering Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay Program Welcomes Public Input on Draft Management Strategies

Experts Consider Chesapeake Bay an Ecosystem in Recovery

Long-Term Nutrient, Sediment Levels Declining in Chesapeake Bay