(8/2024) The heat of Summer is well upon us and for many locals that means a beach vacation. For most of us those beaches are found along the Chesapeake Bay. What many of us don’t know is that the Chesapeake Bay is America’s most productive estuary. To me, that production takes the form of some of my favorite food, crabs, rockfish, and raw oysters. I love living so close to some of the best seafood in the world. The challenge in living so close to the Chesapeake Bay means that we have a responsibility to limit our pollution to the Bay.

This is no small task. The Bay isn’t just the largest American estuary, it is the collection point of over 180,000 miles of creeks, streams, and rivers from Virginia, DC, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and even New York State. Over 18 million people live in the Bay watershed, and we all have some work to do to keep the Bay clean. In 2014 the aforementioned states, DC, and private partners created a watershed agreement with goals and outcomes intended to Save the Bay. Now it is 2024 and the time to reassess the goals is upon us. Here is a quick update on what we have achieved and what more needs to be done.

Through a multi-state collaborative effort the 2014 watershed agreement outlined 31 initial outcomes to measure the impacts of pollution reduction efforts implemented throughout the watershed. As of today, 18 outcomes are completed or are on course, 11 are off course and won’t be reached and 2 are still being assessed. Here are a few partnership achievements from the past 10 years.

The partnership identified planting 900 acres of forest buffer along waterways to reduce pollutants reaching the Bay. While that goal will not be met, every year the partnership has increased the amount of buffer planted. 2023 represented the most trees planted, so progress is being streamlined. Here is Adams County, our Conservation District takes the lead with local partners in an annual native tree sale. This is partially funded from Bay cleanup funds. If you drive south on Route 15, it is easy to see large areas of new tree plantings along the highway. The same is true throughout the watershed.

As of 2022 the Chesapeake Bay Program partners have protected nearly 1.64 million acres of land throughout the watershed. All totaled in the watershed approximately 9.1 million acres have been conserved. This represents 22% of the land in the watershed. The lands that are most critical to preserve are those closest to waterways. This highlights one of our largest challenges, as people love to live near water. Where we can, we should conserve corridors around our waterways. Where we cannot, we must find ways to ameliorate the impacts of growth on our waterways.

As I mentioned earlier, blue crabs and to a lesser degree oysters, are iconic symbols of the Chesapeake Bay. They are also good indicators of bay health. While there is always some natural variation in female blue crab, ever since 2014 these populations have stayed above a healthy population threshold. Likewise, since 2014 eleven oyster tributaries have been restored. The goal was ten tributaries.

Oysters are especially important for Bay health, as they are natural water filters that can purify 50 gallons (about a bathtub) of water a day. While oysters are eating small algae and other organic material, they are pulling sediment out of the water. Talk about a great two-for-one, they purify the water AND they taste delicious. Our efforts have stopped the decline in crab and oyster populations and in the case of both we are seeing improvement. So, next time you order a crabcake, remember to thank a conservationist.

Now for the largest challenge moving forward. The 2014 watershed agreement only lasts until the end of 2024, so what do we do now? This year Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed me to a small advisory committee helping the Bay. I am one of six Pennsylvania members on the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) to the Executive Committee of the Chesapeake Bay Programs. What a mouthful of government speak! The executive committee is comprised of the governors of six states, the Mayor of DC, and the heads of a few large state, federal and community stakeholders.

There are other advisory committees, informing the Executive Committee about the science of the bay and soon there will be a committee focused solely on the agricultural community. LGAC is the conduit for communication between local governments and the larger partners. Imagine trying to develop programs that impact five very different states, especially when the benefits for the Bay may not directly benefit many of the local jurisdictions.

Nobody wants to see unfunded uncoordinated ineffective federal mandates pushed down to local government. We have too much of that already. Instead, we want to see that local priorities are respected and balanced with our duty to clean up our own pollution for the greater good.

While a completely bottom up approach would be chaos for an area this large, top down demands often meet with resistance at the local level. Both approaches have major weaknesses, so LGAC tries to balance these approaches and assist in better communication between partners and local governments. For the 2025 and Beyond plan to work we must improve communication between governmental units and we must show residents that saving the bay is in their own self-interest.

Beyond bureaucratic hurdles there is another very practical issue: money. There is never enough government funding to solve all of our problems, but with the right amount applied strategically we can stretch those dollars. Part of this strategy must include communicating to the 18 million residents of the watershed, that they have a part in the solutions. Our health is directly connected to the health of the bay. While scientific research has been the guiding force behind Bay initiatives, we must now shift to a more social science methodology. We need to make the connection between the bay and the individual. This isn’t just a "everything is connected" moment. This is understanding that the water we drink today is about to make its way to the bay. Or that our rain gutters and parking lots are direct corridors to the bay.

What we put into our sewers or our waterways have direct impacts on the bay. While the natural sciences tell us what practices to avoid or to implement, we need to move beyond this. If we are to save the Bay we need measurable studies to show residents why it matters. We need to show that funding now will net results more cost effectively than continuing to damage our waterways and trying to fix it later. Kicking the can down the creek, is not an option.

If you have any questions or would like more information on how you can help, do not hesitate to reach out to me mqually@adamscountypa.gov