Concept information
Preferred term
CBP
Definition
- The Chesapeake Bay Program is the unique regional partnership that's been directing and conducting the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since the signing of the historic Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983. The Bay Program partners includethe states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia; the District of Columbia; the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative body; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, representing the federal government; and participating advisory groups. As the largest estuary in the United States and one of the most productive in the world, the Chesapeake Bay was this nation's first estuary targeted for restoration and protection. In the late 1970s, scientific and estuarine research on the Bay pinpointed three areas requiring immediate attention: nutrient over-enrichment, dwindling underwater Bay grasses and toxic pollution. Once the initialresearch was completed, the Bay Program evolved as the means to restore this exceptionally valuable resource. Since its inception in 1983, the Bay Program's highest priority has been the restoration of the Bay's living resources- its finfish, shellfish, Bay grasses, and other aquatic life and wildlife. Improvements include fisheries and habitat restoration, recovery of Bay grasses, nutrient and toxic reductions, and significant advances in estuarine science. Considered a national and international model for estuarine research and restoration programs, the Bay Program is a partnership led by the Chesapeake Executive Council. The members of the Executive Council are the governors of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania; the mayor of the District of Columbia; the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. The Executive Council meets annually to establish the policy direction for the Bay Program. In the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement , the Executive Council set a goal to reduce the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorous entering the Bay by 40% by 2000. Achieving a 40% nutrient reduction will ultimately improve the oxygen levels in Baywaters and encourage aquatic life to flourish. In 1992, the Bay Program partners agreed to continue the 40% reduction goal beyond 2000 as well as to attack nutrients at their source - upstream in the Bay's tributaries. As a result, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia began developing tributary strategies to achieve nutrient reduction targets. On June 28, 2000, the Chesapeake Bay Program partners signed the new Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, which will guide the next decade of restoration and protection efforts throughout the Bay watershed. The agreement commits to protecting and restoring living resources, vital habitats and water quality of the Bay and its watershed. For more information, link to "http://www.chesapeakebay.net/" (en)
Broader concept
- A - C (en)
URI
https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/12ee3357-2079-4924-a956-6ba4498a9a65
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