About

Today, CBF boasts offices in Richmond and Virginia Beach, field staff in the Shenandoah Valley, a mobile oyster restoration center in Virginia Beach, and six outdoor environmental education programs across the state. Our efforts are focused on ensuring Virginia meets its Bay cleanup goals to reduce pollution from sewage treatment plants, farms, and urban and suburban stormwater runoff.

Learn more about CBF’s legislative priorities for Virginia’s General Assembly session.

Interested in volunteering for CBF? Check out our upcoming events.

Our Virginia Offices

Our Virginia staff lead a host of restoration, education, and policy efforts that help ensure improved water quality, thriving communities, an engaged pubic, and more sustainable fisheries.

  • Richmond high-rises flank the far shore of the James River.

    Virginia Office, Richmond

    Since opening the Virginia office in the early 1980s, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been leading the efforts to save the Bay in the Old Dominion through environmental advocacy, education, science, policy, litigation, and restoration.

  • Twilight aerial view of the Brock Center and its dock with the mobile oyster restoration center and education boat the Jenny S.

    Hampton Roads Office

    Our Virginia Beach staff is involved across the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Partnerships to clean up the Elizabeth and Lynnhaven Rivers, protection of critical fisheries, and supporting farmers' efforts to reduce polluted agricultural runoff are just a few of the areas in which we are involved.

Our Virginia Facilities

  • Lights illuminate the outside of the Brock Environmental Center at dusk.

    Brock Environmental Center

    The Chesapeake Bay Foundation built the Brock Environmental Center at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to engage, inform, and inspire generations about the environment and how we can all help Save the Bay.

  • A dozen students stand with their teacher on the shore of a creek.

    The Macon and Joan Brock Classroom

    Virginia Beach City Public Schools and CBF are partnering on a unique environmental science program for high school students at CBF's Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. The program uses the Brock Center and its natural surroundings to broaden students' understanding of sustainability and the environment.

  • Holding tanks sit on two blue barges at the Brock Environmental Center Dock.

    CBF’s Mobile Oyster Restoration Center

    CBF's cutting-edge vessel will change how we bring back the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster population.

  • A compound of four buildings sits beyond a marsh.

    Port Isobel Island Environmental Education Center

    The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Port Isobel Island Environmental Education Center is located on a 250-acre island, referenced on nautical charts as East Point Marsh, east of Tangier Island, Virginia.

Barbara Saffir

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Classes on how to become a Chesapeake steward, opportunities to grow oysters and plant trees, summer Eco-Camps and Student Leadership Expeditions--there are countless ways to join the save the Bay movement!

View All Events and Opportunities
  • Mon

    Jun

    1

    Maymont Garden Hall
    1700 Hampton St
    Richmond, VA 23220

  • Tue

    Jun

    2

    Fonticello Park
    2715 Bainbridge Street
    Richmond, VA

  • Sat

    Jun

    13

    Registration Deadline: June 11

    Brock Environmental Center
    3663 Marlin Bay Drive
    Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Explore Our Virginia Programs

From training advocates to on-the-ground restoration work, educating students and teachers, and supporting farmers and landowners see what we're doing in Virginia.
Explore Our Programs
Students from the Bay Advocacy Institute paddle canoes on a sunny day, enjoying hands-on environmental education on a calm river.
Program Bay Advocacy Institute

The Bay Advocacy Institute (BAI) offers college students the opportunity to delve into Chesapeake Bay topics, gain real-world skills in advocacy, and develop environmental solutions for their local community and beyond. CBF provides the expertise, training, and resources for this next generation of Chesapeake advocates to engage and inspire action on the issues that matter to them.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
A young boy gives a thumbs up amid a crows of people enjoying a ride on the CBF vessel Marguerite.
Program Bay Discovery Trips

At CBF, we believe that the best way to experience the Chesapeake Bay watershed is to immerse yourself in it.

Maryland, Virginia
Five young girls in life jackets, grinning ear to ear as they stand in the Bay.
Program Bay Eco-Camp

Adventure into the heart of the Chesapeake during a five-day environmental education summer camp designed for middle school students and hosted at a CBF island education center.

13-14 year olds Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Program Become a Chesapeake Steward

CBF's Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards, or VoiCeS, program engages local volunteers and their communities and fosters a deeper understanding of the Bay watershed and the efforts to restore it.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
A group of seated people watch a man at a podium, a PowerPoint presentation displayed on a screen above him.
Program Brock Environmental Center Climate Lecture Series

Join us as a diverse group of community members share their expertise and experiences surrounding climate change.

Virginia
Three adults kneel to look at a fish identification card.
Program Chesapeake Classrooms

Chesapeake Bay Foundation's summer courses provide teachers with outdoor learning experiences that are aligned with local school system standards. Courses are open to educators throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Person holding a small fish on a boat with several others nearby; water and tree-lined shore visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
Program Chesapeake Leaders

CBF's Chesapeake Leaders are a group of passionate Bay supporters who are leading the fight for clean water and a healthy Bay watershed.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Program Clean Water Captains

Clean Water Captains are Bay ambassadors who make a big difference in their communities. They share information with neighbors, congregations, schools, elected officials, and more about policy initiatives that help restore the Bay while helping to create practical and effective local clean-up plans.

Maryland, Virginia
A couple dozen teachers and students stand and smile on the stern of a boat.
Program Hampton Roads Environmental Education Program

The Hampton Roads program offers students a floating classroom to explore local waterways and deepen their knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia
A white boat sits at a dock along a river. The Richmond, VA skyline can be seen in the background.
Program James River Environmental Education Program

Bring the watershed to life as you engage your students with curriculum-based investigations on the James River Environmental Education Program.

Virginia
A herd of cows graze in a grassy field with trees behind them.
Program Mountains-to-Bay Grazing Alliance

A multi-state program supporting farmers interested in grazing their livestock.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia
Three oyster restoration boats prepare to deploy reef balls.
Program Oyster Restoration

In support of re-establishing this keystone species, CBF has established facilities and programs in Maryland and Virginia devoted to restoration of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica.

Maryland, Virginia
Port Isobel Environmental Education Center.
Program Port Isobel Island East & West Environmental Education Programs

Port Isobel is a 250-acre island east of Tangier Island and is home to two of CBF's residential island education programs.

Virginia
Students stand on a dock while a CBF educator stands on the dock next to a boat talking to them.
Program Potomac River Environmental Education Program

While aboard the workboat Bea Hayman Clark, students will test water quality, perform plankton studies, trawl for fish, and learn about the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
A mix of educators and CBF staff stand around a bucket of oysters and other Bay critters, some hold oysters and inspect them.
Program Professional Learning

CBF’s Chesapeake Classrooms and School Leaders Environmental Leadership programs offer high-quality professional learning through field experiences and environmental education training that meet the needs of teachers and schools across the watershed.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
White egrets fly over a marsh.
Program Resilience Webinar Series

The Resilience Webinar Series is a virtual event series designed to spotlight innovative strategies, local projects, and policy perspectives that support climate adaptation and community…

Virginia
Program Save Oyster Shells

Find out about oyster shell recycling then get involved. Drop off your empty oyster shells, volunteer to pickup shells and deliver them to CBF, host a recycling pickup, or encourage your local seafood restaurant to participate.

Maryland, Virginia
School leaders stand on a dock next to a CBF boat. They smile at the camera while wearing CBF hats.
Program School Leaders Environmental Leadership Program

Join CBF for a personal outdoor learning experience and collaborate with school leaders from your district and around the region.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Several white egrets and one great blue heron stand and perch on partially submerged tree branches in a calm pond. The water reflects the birds and branches, and the background shows green vegetation along the shoreline.
Program Speakers Bureau

Invite CBF staff to your next meeting to educate your members about Bay and water quality issues.

Virginia
Program Student Field Programs

CBF offers students and teachers the opportunity to learn outside while studying the Bay, its rivers, and streams during one-day and multi-day outdoor environmental education field trips. Programs are offered in DC, MD, PA, and VA.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Program Student Leadership

CBF's Student Leadership program connects, educates, and inspires the next generation of environmental stewards to become critical thinkers and environmental problem solvers by advancing advocacy, raising awareness, and taking action to Save the Bay.

9th-12th grades Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
A joyful group of students cheer and strike playful poses together on a windswept boardwalk, celebrating the moment.
Program Student Leadership Summer Expeditions

Hike, fish, wade, and paddle in the most inspiring natural areas in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, all while learning how to be an effective advocate for the world around you!

9-12 Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
A man passes two cages containing oysters to a woman.
Program Virginia Oyster Gardening

Help rebuild the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population by becoming an oyster gardener. Grow oysters alongside your dock and then help CBF plant them on sanctuary reefs.

Virginia
Two women paddle on a river in a red canoe.
Program Virginia Rivers & Streams East Environmental Education Program

CBF's mobile canoe rig travels to Virginia rivers to help students probe the Bay's biologically diverse flat water and study local plants and wildlife.

Virginia
Students in canoes gather to listen to an instructor.
Program Virginia Rivers & Streams West Environmental Education Program

Students and educators attending CBF's Virginia Rivers & Streams West Environmental Education Program will examine the relationship between human activities and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Virginia
A group of volunteers celebrating after building a living shoreline.
Program Volunteer

Do you enjoy working with others to help restore the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams? Whether growing oysters, planting trees, or helping in our offices, there are plenty of ways you can contribute.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia

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