The Chesapeake Bay watershed stretches from Cooperstown, New York, to Norfolk, Virginia, and includes parts of six states—Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia—and the entire District of Columbia.
What’s wrong with the Chesapeake Bay?
Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay faces serious problems due to human activities, including polluted stormwater runoff, over-fertilization and pollution from animal wastes, deforestation, wetland destruction from agricultural, urban, and suburban development, and sea level rise caused by global climate change.
What kind of plants grow in the Chesapeake Bay?
Five of the most common are wild celery, found in freshwater; sago pondweed, redhead grass, and widgeon grass found in more estuarine water; and eelgrass found in the lower Bay in saltier water. Salinity, water depth, and bottom sediment determine where each species can grow.
What kind of grass is in the Chesapeake Bay?
Fourteen species of grasses are commonly found in the Bay or nearby rivers. Five of the most common are wild celery, found in freshwater; sago pondweed, redhead grass, and widgeon grass found in more estuarine water; and eelgrass found in the lower Bay in saltier water.
Why are trees important to the Chesapeake Bay?
Plants help keep our air and water clean and provide habitat for countless animals. The American chestnut was once an abundant native tree that could grow 100 feet tall. Now, threatened by disease, the tree rarely makes it to maturity.
What are the environmental factors of the Chesapeake Bay?
Poor water quality, pollution, and habitat degradation are factors in these infections, but the stress of warmer water makes the species more vulnerable to disease. Resource managers expect sea-level rise to have a direct effect on submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay.
