Implementing the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint by the 2025 deadline requires each state to do its part to reduce pollution. But it also requires a lot of on-the-ground work. That's why CBF launched the Making History Campaign in 2018, an ambitious effort to plant trees and restore oyster populations to help states meet their goals. Learn how the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is helping Pennsylvania clean up its rivers and streams and why trees are such VIPs (Very Important Plants). Find out about an exciting new project we’re working on to add trees and green space to alleviate heat in formerly redlined neighborhoods in Richmond, Virginia. Get the scoop on the latest fight for forest protections in Maryland and what you can do. And help kids explore the importance of trees for water quality with our student forest investigation.
Keystone Trees
Saving the Bay hinges on first saving the rivers and streams in Pennsylvania, but the Commonwealth continues to be significantly behind in meeting its clean water milestones. CBF believes the work of many hands planting many trees can help get it back on track—and we launched the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to do it.
Video: Very Important Plants
We often say, “clean water grows on trees.” But why? What benefits do trees provide? Learn how trees can battle climate change, reduce flooding, and lead to healthier rivers and streams as Harry Campbell, CBF's Pennsylvania Science Policy and Advocacy Director, explores why trees are VIPs (Very Important Plants).
Greening Richmond
Neighborhoods once redlined under discriminatory housing practices can be 5 to 12 degrees hotter due to lack of trees and green space. The new Greening Southside Richmond Project will plant more than 650 trees, train local youth for green jobs, transform asphalt into green space, and begin cooling some of the hottest neighborhoods in Virginia’s capital.
Fight for Maryland Forests
The fight for Maryland’s forests—some of the Bay’s most important natural filters—is playing out county by county, and Charles County is the latest battleground. Already, the county is among the state’s leaders in forest loss, and the county planning commission is currently reviewing a bill that could leave more deforestation in its wake.
Video: Forest Investigation
Forests absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, provide shade and habitat for animals, and naturally filter water by absorbing pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus before they reach the Bay. In this student investigation, join Avett the Dog as he explores a forest and figure out how trees help streams and other waterways.
What You Can Do
- Register for our next Brock Environmental Center Learning Series webinar on October 15, How Nature Alleviates Flooding.
- Sign the pledge to show your support and stand with CBF as we take EPA to court.
- Sign up for our weekly Save the Bay e-newsletter—a weekly roundup of uplifting Bay stories, inspirational videos, helpful teaching resources, and much more.
- Now through September 30, your gift to save the Bay and its rivers and streams will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 thanks to our generous friends at Leidos. Give today and your donation will be doubled.
