Native Plant Narratives is a series of short, educational videos highlighting the benefits of plants native to the Chesapeake Bay region and conservation gardening. Most of the videos will focus on specific native species, where and when to use them, as well as how to care for them. There will also be videos on more
In 2019, The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay alongside the Local Leadership Workgroup, Local Government Advisory Committee and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, hosted a bus tour entitled “Wandering Virginia’s Waterways.” This two-day peer to peer learning exchange was geared towards elected officials from the Shenandoah area to the coastlines of Virginia, and focused
The Alliance kicked off a new partnership with the City of Lancaster in the midst of a pandemic. While the impact and implications of COVID-19 moved through local communities we geared up for operating in a remote world. Passionate people who care deeply about the Lancaster community and our environment see opportunities to leverage and expand our work - even in the midst of uncertainties.
Despite being scruffy, warty, and alien-looking, common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a magnificent shrub. It is hugely beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife and produces a fruit that is prized for food and medicine alike. Elderberry is also incredibly hardy, fast-growing, and prolific, making it a surefire choice for restoration plantings. Though it is
Environmental educators from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the James River Park System are thrilled to be working together to bring an after-school program to Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students next year. Middle school students that pick the STEM based program will experience learning outdoors and examine what role they play in their community to protect the James River. Thanks to a recent grant to the Alliance, funded by NAAEE and NOAA, the educators will run the program through the 21st Century Community Learning Center partner, NextUp RVA. The program has unique features including a TopoBox and a visit to see the Science on a Sphere!
Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program "What a friend we have in a tree, the tree is the symbol of hope, self improvement and what people can do for themselves." - Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and founder of the Green Belt Movement Often when we talk about trees, we
Three longtime LGAC members share their approach to community engagement.
Carol Newill in the center with a volunteer group during a Project Clean Stream event While Project Clean Stream (PCS) is rescheduled for the fall , that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating our past accomplishments and planning ahead for future events. We thought this would be the perfect time to recognize our incredible
The 15th Annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum "Climate Resiliency in a Changing Chesapeake Watershed" Late October 2020 (dates coming soon!) // Online The 2019 Chesapeake Watershed Forum is held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W.Va., on Nov. 15, 2019. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program) When it comes to the Chesapeake Watershed Forum, your safety and comfort is our chief
Fitz-bew! This year I didn’t hear the familiar bird song until mid-May. I was checking up on a riparian forest buffer site which I am always delighted to visit. The landowner is enthusiastic, generous, and a great steward, and had recently enrolled in the Alliance’s buffer program to reforest a wet pasture that is
It was a warm spring late afternoon several years ago, much like it finally is now as I write this article. My wife and I were walking our dog and young children around our rather suburban neighborhood outside of Annapolis. We had just turned the last corner onto our road when I heard a
April and May are usually a very busy time in the water quality monitoring world and for the Alliance's citizen science RiverTrends program. RiverTrends volunteer monitors have been tracking the conditions of waterways that flow into the Bay since 1985! Normally, we would take this time to onboard and re-certify our monitors to ensure we
