How to Help Save the Chesapeake Bay

Volunteers for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation load baskets of harvested oysters for planting on protected sanctuary reefs.

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Two major reasons for the Chesapeake Bay's popularity are its huge size and its infinite variety. The Bay stretches for approximately 200 miles along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, and offers year-round recreation for thousands of families. Every day, hundreds of volunteers are doing their part to keep Bay waters clean, and there are many ways you can help.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Computer with Internet access

Step1

Start at home by doing everything you can to protect the waters. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation website contains a list of 10 things you can do to save the bay. These include planting native grasses and plants that don't need fertilization; limiting your use of household chemicals and avoiding the use of lawn chemicals. Even planting a tree can help. Trees add oxygen to the atmosphere and hold soil in place, helping to prevent erosion.

Step2

Become an active volunteer. You can take part in oyster gardening to help boost the oyster population and filter pollution. The oysters are transported to grow and reproduce on sanctuary reefs where they are protected from commercial harvesting. You could also join the Grasses for the Masses program. People in the program grow wild celery in their homes for 10 weeks, then plant the grasses in local rivers.

Step3

Become a Chesapeake Bay Steward. This eight-week adult education course will teach potential volunteers about the health of the Bay and train them in how to help the Bay in their own communities. Class topics will include restoration efforts, Bay history and culture, citizen action and advocacy, and current technology. The course has been offered in Maryland and will be offered in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Step4

Find more ways to participate, such as pledging to become a Boater for the Bay or Cyclist for the Bay. And each spring, thousands of volunteers clean up the waters in the 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed during Clean the Bay Day. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation also offers Discovery Trips to help individuals and groups learn more about the Bay. See the Resources below for more information.