This article was originially published in the Bay Journal on March 20, 2025.
A seine net, pulled by two people wading along the water’s edge, can tell you a lot about a place. The net might come out wriggling with translucent grass shrimp, a tiny skilletfish or a lined seahorse clinging to a blade of eelgrass.
I often used this simple survey method with students when I worked as an environmental educator on Port Isobel Island. It was invaluable for providing insight into what was really going on in the water.
A recent survey of 2,000 watershed residents commissioned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation provides a similar gut check for Chesapeake Bay restoration at this increasingly critical moment. It found that more than half, 52 percent, believe the challenges facing the Bay will become more serious over the next five years.
At the very time we need to do more, the latest actions by the Trump administration have created a crisis for the decades-long Bay restoration effort. Budget cuts—including at least a 65 percent cut proposed for the Environmental Protection Agency—coupled with mass layoffs and suspended grant programs will wreak havoc far beyond the federal government.
As the Bay Journal has reported, states will face major budget shortfalls, critical scientific research will stop, farmers will be stuck with out-of-pocket expenses that the federal government promised to pay, and many local nonprofits may simply cease to exist. The prospect of losing decades of progress, institutional knowledge, science and effective partnership is heartbreaking.
None of this changes the fact that we have important work to do. When it comes to the Chesapeake Bay, the public’s charge is clear: We must work on all fronts possible for clean water and a healthy environment.
Our opinion poll showed strong support for an all-hands approach to solve the Bay’s challenges. It found that 84 percent of residents think it is important to reduce pollution. Large majorities also see a need to tackle toxic contamination (86 percent), increase environmental education (79 percent), increase climate resiliency (76 percent), and protect fisheries, wildlife, and habitats (84 percent).
The health and wellbeing of more than 18 million people and thousands of species of plants and animals depend on finding a way to address these challenges collectively.
We cannot and will not stop doing the work that matters.
What needs to happen next is crafting a strong update for the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the driving force of the restoration partnership. On March 28, state and federal leaders will meet to work out the first steps toward refining the agreement’s 10 goals and 31 outcomes—which span issues from sustainable fisheries to environmental education to reducing pollution.
It is more important than ever for leaders to ensure the agreement remains robust and comprehensive, not focused mostly on reducing nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. While water quality goals will always be foundational to success, we know it will take much more to accelerate progress.
If we really want to create a healthy ecosystem where people and nature thrive for the long term, we need to take a holistic approach that addresses mounting pressures from climate change, population growth, and growing sources of pollution. This isn’t just what the public expects. It is also a major finding of the Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR) report, a landmark 2023 report prepared by the dozens of Bay scientists who make up the Bay Program’s Science and Technical Advisory Committee.
Keeping these issues front and center in the Chesapeake Bay Agreement allows us to make progress that reaches across state lines, across administrations, and across generations. If there is one clear message from the first 40 years of Bay restoration, it’s that we can accomplish much more together than we can alone.
State and local actions have enormous power to protect and revitalize our waters. It is more critical than ever to advance legislation and local regulations that safeguard forests and wetlands, strengthen science, and make communities more resilient. It is also vital that we stand together to advocate for our federal partners, ensuring they have the full funding and staff they need to continue performing their critical role in the partnership.
The hollowing out of federal agencies and grant programs makes it paramount to continue the long, proud tradition of bipartisan support for the Chesapeake across our region.
We cannot and will not stop doing the work that matters. We must continue speaking up for our waters and our communities, putting oysters in the Bay and trees in the ground. We must continue holding polluters accountable and inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.
The effort to save the Bay has always been fueled by the people who love this place. Now, it will take all of us to stand up for it. Having the cleanest water in the world means little if we don’t also have thriving, life-giving wetlands, marshes and streams, if we don’t have sustainable fisheries and flourishing communities with strong local economies. To get there, restoration goals must reflect all that people and nature need.
