Past President Will Baker
Michael Busada
Will Baker began his career with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) as an intern in 1976, a few weeks after graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He served as President from 1982 to 2021, leading the largest nonprofit conservation organization dedicated solely to preserving, protecting, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. His opinion pieces have been published in all major regional newspapers and the New York Times, and he has been repeatedly interviewed on all major television and radio networks.
Under his leadership, CBF received numerous awards, including the nation's highest environmental honor—the 1992 Presidential Medal for Environmental Excellence—in recognition of its environmental education program.
Learn more about him on our blog series, "Honoring Will Baker" and watch the video below.
William's Posts
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How to Get Pennsylvania Farmers to Save the Chesapeake Bay
July 13, 2021
Environmentalists believe reducing runoff from Pennsylvania farms is key to restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
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"Rest in the Grace of the World"
March 18, 2020
CBF President Will Baker reflects on day three of Coronavirus-prompted remote work
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Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Heads in the Right Direction
September 4, 2019
Virginia recently released a strong, detailed and practical plan to reduce pollution to its portion of the Chesapeake Bay and the tidal rivers that feed it. Now, Gov. Ralph Northam and the General Assembly must turn the plan into action.
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Time’s Running out to Meet Bay Cleanup Goals, Especially in PA
August 14, 2019
The historic federal-state partnership working to clean up the Bay’s pollution is entering the final phase of restoration.
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Saving the Bay, Fighting Climate Change: Two Sides of the Same Coin
June 4, 2019
Record breaking storms in 2018 across the Bay watershed increased polluted runoff, but the damage was not as bad as it could have been thanks to the implementation of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint
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The Chesapeake Bay’s Environmental Success Story Is in Danger
October 27, 2018
The Trump administration is threatening to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, but it’s not too late to turn things around.
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Trump Plan Endangers Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
August 28, 2018
It's difficult growing up a crab. Cold winters, predators, dead zones, vanishing habitat — these are just some of the threats a young crustacean faces. And now, a plan by the Trump administration to open the Atlantic seaboard to oil and gas exploration and drilling could upset the already precarious life cycle of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab.
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Three Things Chesapeake Restoration Leaders Need to Do
August 6, 2018
There is no doubt that the Bay was an ugly sight last week. It was a stark reminder of the damage that is caused by heavy rains.
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In Case Anyone Is Asking: Warmer Temperatures Hurt the Bay
March 28, 2018
In a February interview on KSNV-TV in Las Vegas, Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, questioned whether a warming climate might actually be a good thing.
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Announcing the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance
February 26, 2018
Just this morning, more than 30 community groups, oyster growers, universities, and non-profits came together to commit to a goal of adding 10 billion water-filtering oysters to the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.
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A Clean Chesapeake Bay Requires a Strong EPA
October 25, 2017
In September of 1983, the results of a seven-year EPA study of the Chesapeake Bay landed on our respective desks — one of us was the new administrator of EPA, recently appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and the other was the new president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
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Save the Bay: Slashes to EPA Funding Would Reverse Years of Progress
March 6, 2017
The Trump administration's plan to cut Environmental Protection Agency staff by a fifth and eliminate key programs raises troubling questions about support for the highly successful Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint.
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Three Examples Show How Ripples Can Become Waves to Save the Bay
February 13, 2017
The saying goes: "It takes a village." To fully implement the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, governments, businesses, and citizens all must do their part.
