Chesapeake Bay Program

We are excited to announce that Khesha Reed has been selected as the Chesapeake Bay Program's permanent Deputy Director! Reed has been with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for more than twenty years, holding several senior leadership positions. Prior to joining the Chesapeake Bay Program, she was the Deputy Director of the Standards and Health Protection Division in the Office of Science and Technology within the Office of Water (OW). ➡️ bit.ly/3AKc180

🪳 Can we get bugs to reproduce in restored streams so fish have more food? 🌳 Can we permanently remove invasive plants from trees growing alongside streams? These are just a few of the questions that college students researched this year during the prestigious C-StREAM program. Each summer, around a dozen students join the program hosted by Chesapeake Research Consortium and take on research projects that help us protect the Bay and its wildlife. #EnvironmentalScience #DEI #STEM

The Nansemond Indian Nation planted 9,000 oysters in a creek within their ancestral lands. This year, a 75-acre property of forest and open land was transferred to the tribe, which they are dedicated to protecting and using for community education. #CleanWate #ChesapeakeBay #Virginia

Sophia Waterman's Clean Water Story starts like most—exploring the outdoors with her family and marveling at its wonders, which in her case included a reef of spitting oysters. Sophie grew up in Catonsville, Maryland. And today, she's a Geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Her team focuses on mapping the different kinds of land uses across the Bay watershed, how they're changing, and what impact they have on people and wildlife. #ChesapeakeBay #GIS #Geographer

For nearly ten years, the Coastal Conservation Association has been deploying concrete "reef balls" into Chesapeake Bay rivers. These structures serve as habitat for oysters and various marine life, ultimately attracting the bigger fish that people love to fish for. #CleanWater #ChesapeakeBay #Oysters #Fishing

An estimated 82,937 acres of underwater grass were in the Bay in 2023—roughly 6,500 acres more than in 2022! Underwater grass adds oxygen to the water, filters out harmful nutrients, and provides habitat for blue crabs, fish, and other wildlife in the estuary. #ChesapeakeBay #CleanWater #Fish

Since becoming Chair for the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee, Charles Herrick has been dedicated to igniting passion and enthusiasm for the Bay restoration effort while championing inclusivity and equity. We sat down with Chuck to discuss Bay restoration "beyond 2025," when many of the goals and outcomes of the Watershed Agreement will reach their deadline. "I’m 100% convinced that we’ll never “fix” the Bay until we learn how to deal with nonpoint pollution, and we’ll never deal with nonpoint pollution until we have enough effective Best Management Practices (BMPs), and we’ll never have enough effective BMPs until all Bay communities take full ownership of the Bay’s health, which won’t happen until all people in the watershed have an equal say in its value, stewardship, management and use." #ChesapeakeBay #CleanWater #Climate

The flow of litter to the Anacostia River—particularly plastic bottles—is as stark as it is in many tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. D.C. leaders and various nonprofits work to reduce the trash as best they can. They rely on a variety of tactics like trash traps, skimmer boats, laws and regulations—even volunteers who pay for their kayak rental in the litter they pick up. Learn more about these efforts for #PlasticFreeJuly.

The Chesapeake Bay received a C+ for its health in 2023, due in part to the one of the smallest dead zones on record. This report is produced annually by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. #ChesapeakeBay #CleanWater #EnvironmentalScience

It's always a pleasure getting to see our work up close, especially on a river as unique as the Anacostia. Thank you to Anacostia Riverkeeper for hosting our team members on an Anacostia River Explorers Boat Tours! The Anacostia River Explorer Boat Tours educate the public about the Anacostia River watershed, including its human and natural history, the threats it faces, and what solutions are being undertaken to help the river realize its full potential. The boat tour program is funded in part by the District 5-cent retail bag fee and by the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). #ChesapeakeBay #CleanWater #WashingtonDC