Photos of the Month: May

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to stay home in May, it also allowed us more time to enjoy and relax in nature. Take a look at some of the major news and photo highlights below from us, our partners, and supporters.

Do you have a favorite Chesapeake photo you took this month that you'd like to submit to be featured as one of our Photos of the Month? Upload your digital photo here or tag us in your photo on your public Twitter or Instagram. We look forward to seeing your photos!

Instagram Photos

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I got to be featured in the latest CBF Newsletter 👍: Hi, I’m Matt Farrell and this is my 2nd year as an Oyster Gardener for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I currently live in the Aeries on the Bay neighborhood of Virginia Beach and have both the Bay and the Brock Environmental Center within walking distance of my house. I grew up not far down the road in a home on the Lynnhaven River. My family still owns the home and this is where my oysters have be growing and doing their small part to improve the health of our waterways. Oyster gardening is something that I’ve really enjoyed participating in over the past couple of years. I find it to be a rewarding activity and like that it has a community element to it. After a year of maintaining the pots, my oysters get donated back to the CBF where they’ll be relocated to an artificial reef in the Bay. When maintaining the pots, I find it fun to see what other sea life comes up once they are pulled onto the dock. I’ve seen shrimp, small crab, minnows, and this year I discovered sea squirts. The oyster clusters seem to attract a lot of life, which I find fascinating. The gardening process also reminds me of growing up on the Lynnhaven. Almost daily, I’d go down to the canal and look for crabs on the bulkhead, fish, throw minnow traps, and even catch the occasional eel, so the oyster pots give me a sense of continuing that kind of childhood discovery. Since getting involved, I’ve posted pictures on social media and told friends about the program. There were 400 Virginians when I started and I think we’re over 500 now. A few of my friends are now involved and I hope that we can continue to attract others to give it a try. Maybe one day, our collective efforts can get us to a point where the old stories of “the waters being as clear as the Caribbean” become more of a current day reality and something we can see for ourselves.

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The view last night wasn’t so bad 😉

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Bay View | Annapolis, MD | 2020 | . . The first European settlement on the Chesapeake Bay was Jamestown, settled in 1607. One year later the entirety of the Bay was mapped by Captain John Smith. The Bay was the site of a historic naval battle during the American Revolution in which the French Navy defeated the Royal Navy in 1781. In 1812, the Bay served as a point of entry for the British who operated off of Tangier Island. During the war, the British were able to secure access to the Potomac, where they attacked and burned the US Capitol. A sudden storm, possibly a hurricane, extinguished the fires, but also spawned a tornado that is said to have ripped through the Capitol and traveled down what is today Constitution Avenue. Sandy Point Beach, where this photo was taken, was purchased by the State of Maryland in 1948 from the Chesapeake Bay Ferry System, formerly named the Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry Company. The park and it’s beaches opened in 1952. . . #annapolis #visitannapolis #mdinfocus #md #maryland #onlyinmaryland #visitmaryland #naptown #washmagphoto #igdc #chesapeakebay #bythings #walkwithlocals #chesapeake #coastalliving #clpicks #coast #sunrise #sunrise_sunsets_aroundworld #landscape #nature #morning #beach #lovelysquares #travel #todayinannapolis #nikonnofilter #usaprimeshot #lighthouse

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Sunday walk bubble blower . This blue crab was on my hike today and it reminded me of blue laws. Growing up in the south Sunday was family day. Blue laws prohibited stores to open until the early 1980’s. . Once blue laws were dropped the family focus for Sunday’s was slowly diluted to crazy shopping on Sunday’s . . 2009 we moved to Switzerland where I was a director of a Swiss Boarding Middle School with two kids of our own. Sunday’s in our Swiss village no stores were open. it was a step back in time to Va blue law days. . My family owned Sunday again and this time I was the parent! It was priceless. . . Now As businesses open I am so thankful for their opportunities to get back to work and jobs regained. I especially miss eating out at local seafood restaurants! Heading your way soon @simple_eats_vb to dine on your back patio with rockfish! . . Much pain and suffering these last few months has occurred but so has beauty. My Sunday walks with family and friends have been a reclaimed gift. One I don’t intend to give up. . . What is something you started with your family during quarantine that you want to continue. . . . . #sundayfunday #sundayvibes #bluecrab #slowdown #familytime #switzerland #ticino #backtobusiness @vastateparks

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Today, we filed a Notice of Intent to sue the EPA for its failure to require Pennsylvania and New York to develop implementation plans that will achieve the 2025 restoration goals set by the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is our last, best chance to achieve the fishable, swimmable waters guaranteed by the Clean Water Act. But the EPA is failing to hold states accountable. Underscoring the importance of holding EPA accountable, the Attorneys General in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia also filed a notice that they intend to sue EPA as well. “EPA has failed to uphold its Clean Water Act responsibilities. It has failed to implement the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. This has been ongoing for years, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the damage done will last far beyond the pandemic,” said CBF President William C. Baker. “Ensuring the implementation of the Blueprint has been CBF’s top priority for over 10 years. It is essential the courts hold EPA accountable. There is no doubt that if Pennsylvania and New York fail to do their fair share the Bay will never be saved.” Learn more and read the full press release at the link in our bio. #SaveTheBay

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