ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The ninth annual Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week will take place from June 1-9.
According to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Commission first championed the idea of a weeklong celebration of the nation’s largest estuary in 2016.
While the week is officially designated in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, events recognizing this critical economic and environmental resource will take place throughout the watershed, it added. This year’s theme is “Unsung Heroes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.”
This 64,000-square-mile watershed is home to more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, almost 19 million people and over 87,000 farms, and there are close to 900 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and colleges and universities involved in its restoration effort, the Alliance notes.
“Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is the time of year to recognize and celebrate everything that the Chesapeake Bay watershed has to offer — particularly those unsung people, places and critters that don’t always get the credit they deserve. For me, these may be the farmers working to steward their lands, local governments mitigating stormwater runoff in their communities, scientists studying ways to make our restoration practices more effective and individuals who take actions every day to protect the lands and waters of the Bay region,” said Martha Shimkin, Director, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Environmental Protection Agency.
Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week begins with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s annual Clean the Bay Day on June 1, and ends with the Patuxent River Wade-In on June 9.
Other events include:
- June 1 — Join Potomac Conservancy in cleaning up different locations along the Potomac River.
- June 1 — Visit the Virginia Institute of Marine Science for its annual Marine Science Day.
- June 4 — Tune in for Nature Forward’s latest Conservation Café.
- June 7 — Head to Cherry Springs State Park to take in the summer night sky with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- June 8 — Visit the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum to join its Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week celebration.
Chesapeake Bay Program partners, including the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Conservancy, Chesapeake Research Consortium, Maryland Sea Grant and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, developed a social media toolkit including sample posts, photos and articles that can be used for inspiration.
Any organization or individual is welcome to join in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, the alliance said, encouraging those interested to check out its calendar to find an event happening nearby, and to stay up to date with all the ways to get involved during the week by visiting the Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week website and connecting on social media using the hashtags #UnsungHeroes and #BayAwarenessWeek.
“The Chesapeake Bay watershed is more than just iconic blue crabs, boating and vast open water; it’s home to more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, diverse landscapes and over 18 million people. This year’s theme of “Unsung Heroes” helps to shine a spotlight on upstream habitats and the incredible advocates who work to protect them,” said Kate Fritz, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. “At the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, we hope you celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week by exploring your local forest or park, river or stream, and learn more about all the ways our watershed provides us so much. You too can be a local hero, starting in your own community!”
