Welcome! Our blog, which is part of a political geography class at the University of Richmond, focuses on the specific issue of runoff in the Chesapeake Bay. We examine how the bordering regions of this crucial watershed have combined their efforts to ensure a healthy future for the Bay.
Since the 1950s, there has been a significant decline in the water quality and wildlife of the Bay (Maryland Department of the Environment 2009). After noticing such losses, U.S. Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland applied for and was granted a five-year long, $27 million dollar research project looking for some answers. Mathias concluded that the main source of the Chesapeake’s degradation was due to nutrient pollution. In response to his study, the Chesapeake Bay Program was founded with the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983.
The purpose of our blog is to give our viewers a strong background on the Chesapeake Bay Program with a thorough analysis of both its accomplishments and challenges that it still faces. We also look at regionalism and scale and how they have an influence on the success of the Program. We encourage you to continue reading and to post any comments on our ChesaSPEAK tab.