HELPtheChesapeake.com was established as a forum for various stakeholders to advance responsible stewardship for the long-term health of the Bay. People who Harvest, Employ, Live and Play on the Chesapeake have a shared interest that our county’s largest estuary remains vibrant. However, today’s culture of hyper-politicized special interest groups often pit neighbor against neighbor in conflict over how to best use the Bay’s resources. Our goal is to provide a holistic view of what the Bay means to the more than 10 million people that live here and information that will help us share this treasure now and for future generations.
There are numerous non-profit organizations and trade groups that are doing commendable work advocating for the Bay, primarily through the legislative process. Our goal is to create an educational platform that presents timely information and reference material covering commercial, environmental and recreational activity on the Bay. Forty-four hundred square miles and over 11,000 miles of shoreline are not that much for 10 million people to share, so it is critical that we understand what the Bay means to all our neighbors. This website provides information for all of us to HELP the Chesapeake.
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Information collected from 438-miles above Earth by the Landsat satellites has brought Bay scientists one step closer to better controlling pollution levels throughout the watershed. This is because Landsat affords a bird’s-eye view of the watershed at a scale appropriate for deciphering human land use and land cover patterns. Click on the above image for a high-resolution image [NASA GSFC Landsat/LDCM EPO Team]
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HELP the Chesapeake Resources
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The
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay engages
individuals, businesses, and environmental organizations to develop
solutions to improve, preserve, and protect the Chesapeake Bay and all its
resources. The Alliance focuses on community efforts, such as
the Local Government Advisory Committee, the Citizens Advisory Committee, the
BayScaping program, the Watershed Forum and Project Stream Clean.
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The Chesapeake Bay Commission was created in 1980 to coordinate Bay-related policy across state lines and to develop shared solutions. The Commission is a tri-state legislative assembly representing Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania that deals with issues including managing living resources, protecting water quality and conserving land.
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The
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) advocates for
the Chesapeake Bay by finding solutions to the pollution problems of the
Bay and its tributaries. Across the six-state Chesapeake watershed, CBF sets the agenda, serves as a watchdog, and
speaks out on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay to business, government, and
the public. CBF works on restoration, advocacy, education and litigation.
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The
Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership that leads and directs Bay restoration and protection. Bay Program
partners include federal and state
agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and academic institutions
that help advance Bay science, policy and restoration. CBP also coordinates scientific
data, environmental indicators, educational resources, and public information
on the Bay’s pollution problems.
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The
Trust is a nonprofit, grant-making
organization dedicated to restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
in Maryland. Since 1985, they have awarded over $45 million through 8,000 grants.
Last year their 110,000 volunteers, teachers and students planted 95,000 native
trees and plants, removed 580 tons of trash from streams and rivers, created
7,100 linear feet of living shoreline and restored 70 acres of wetlands, oyster
reefs, and streamside buffers.
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The Chesapeake Conservancy
is dedicated to ensuring conservation, stewardship and access of the Chesapeake
Bay, its lands and rivers. The Conservancy was created out of a merger between
the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail and Friends of Chesapeake
Gateways.
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The Chesapeake Legal
Alliance, Inc. (CLA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to using the law
to improve the quality of the Chesapeake Bay. CLA coordinates a network
of lawyers who volunteer their
time and professional skills to representing environmental organizations,
citizens’ groups, and individuals in their efforts to improve the health of the
Chesapeake and its watershed.
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The Chesapeake Executive
Council launched the first version of ChesapeakeStat in June 2010 to increase government accountability and improve
coordination of restoration actions by providing information on partner
activities, funding, and progress towards goals. ChesapeakeStat is a systematic process within the Partnership of analyzing
information and data to continually assess progress towards goals and adapt
strategies and tactics when needed.
It serves as a public
website that promotes improved accountability, fosters coordination, and
promotes transparency by sharing performance information on goals, indicators,
strategies, and funding.
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The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office
is a division of the National Marine Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation,
which works to protect and restore coastal and marine habitat at the national
level. The Office is also a key collaborator with NOAA's North Atlantic
Regional Team, which integrates NOAA's program activities to address priorities
at both the national and regional scale.
NOAA has been a partner in Chesapeake Bay Program restoration and
protection efforts since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1984.
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The Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet
the environmental challenges of the 21st century. SERC leads research on
coastal ecosystems—where land meets the sea—to inform real-world decisions for
wise policies, best business practices, and a sustainable planet. Since its creation in 1965, SERC has
been conducting peer-reviewed research to understand the causes and
consequences of rapid change in the Chesapeake Bay and around the world.
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