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As scientific communities have come to recognize the negative impacts of concrete-laden industrial scapes, green urban renewal projects are praised for their ability to improve environmental conditions, get people outdoors, and fulfill their human need for biophilia.
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When it comes to total waterway miles among U.S. states, Pennsylvania is second only to Alaska. Tens of thousands of miles of flowing water means tens of thousands of opportunities to take steps of our own to contribute to a cleaner Chesapeake Bay.
When you picture the Chesapeake Bay, you of course imagine blue crabs, a vast estuary, and lively coastal cities like Baltimore and Annapolis. While those are all iconic, there are other, sometimes overlooked areas of the Bay’s expansive watershed, making quiet, but important impacts on the health of the region we call home.
As someone who works in communications, where my job can be boiled down to making people care more about the Chesapeake Bay, this little lesson on marine ecology, delivered by a weather-beaten boat captain no less, was no doubt the highlight of my trip.
A lot of us clean water enthusiasts have probably heard the word “watershed” countless times. But what does the word actually mean?
In the Shenandoah Valley, the Alliance brought together a waterman and a farmer to share their personal stories and professional passions, while breaking bread together. Theirs is a story of the captivating journey from inland mountains and headwater streams to the wide-open, salty expanse of the Bay itself.
It’s winter time in the Chesapeake and I’ve got ducks on the brain. Not just ducks but geese and swans, too; all of the waterfowl that travel south to the Bay during fall and winter in search of abundant food, warmer weather and longer days.
When it comes to clean water, diverse communities require diverse solutions. Spanning more than 64,000 square miles across six states and the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to roughly 1,800 local governments. At this vast scale, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving clean water.
Before the summer of 2014, I had hardly ever set foot in the Chesapeake watershed. Then I started a job that would take me all across its 64,000 square miles. As a photojournalist, I document the region — its people, places and wildlife — for stories published on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s website.
Urban river swimming was on public display as the world’s best athletes raced through the iconic Seine River during the Olympic triathlon. And while the Seine did not perform as well as I had hoped—with two training days canceled due to substandard water quality—any swimming in the river at all gives hope to urban waterways across the world.
