About the Bay

Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed with maps and information on wildlife, issues impacting the Bay's health, and more.

Jon McRay

Explore the Bay

Explore Bay-related stories, videos, podcasts, interactive activities, and more. You can even download Bay photo backgrounds for digital use.
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Maps

Explore our Map Portal to learn more about the Bay and its watershed, what issues are facing the Bay and its communities, and what CBF is doing about it.
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Morgan Jones/CBF Staff

Wildlife

The Chesapeake is home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, including 348 species of finfish, 173 species of shellfish, and roughly 30 species of waterfowl. Discover some of the rich, extraordinary wildlife that make this place so special.
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Octavio Aburto/iLCP

Habitat

The Chesapeake Bay provides food, water, cover, and nesting or nursery areas to more than 3,000 migratory and resident wildlife species.
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Krista Schlyer/iLCP

Plants

The Chesapeake Bay watershed supports numerous types of plants, including underwater grasses, plants in tidal wetlands, and plants in nontidal wetlands.
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Bill Portlock

State of the Bay Report

From 1998-2022, CBF's State of the Bay report tracked the health of the Chesapeake Bay and provided insight into the progress—or lack thereof—being made.
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