Speaking for the Streams

Nancy-Kelly_current_Chistine-Edwards_1171x593

Nancy Kelly was CBF's first staff biologist and has spent decades conducting water-quality studies, establishing important legal precedents, and laying the groundwork for a future of clean water.

Christine Edward

Nancy Kelly has waded, assessed, and protected the Bay's rivers for decades.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of CBF's Save the Bay magazine.

In her 50-plus years as a biologist protecting Chesapeake Bay waterways and wetlands, Nancy Kelly has seen all sorts of things in the water. Tires. Appliances. Oil barrels. "There was so much trash, it was like a dump," she says, recalling one stream restoration project in Annapolis that she worked on with the Chesapeake Rivers Association.

Kelly grew up exploring the rocky shores of Maine, where her father ran the biological laboratory in Boothbay Harbor.

"I spent my life out on the beaches and rocks here with my father and I was just captivated from an early age by natural resources," she says.

After studying biology in college, she was raising a family and looking for a job in Annapolis at the same time a small environmental nonprofit called the Chesapeake Bay Foundation was just getting started.

"I convinced them they needed a biologist on their staff," she says.

She joined CBF director Arthur Sherwood and attorney Fred Kelly, and not a moment too soon. At both the state and national level, new laws, including the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, were ushering in an uncharted era for environmental protections. Kelly conducted water quality studies of pollution in places like Spa Creek, mapped wetlands along the Severn River, and served as an expert witness in hearings about development in the critical areas the laws were meant to protect.

"We were really involved in some of the key legal precedents in those early days in the 70s," Kelly says. "Fred and I, and eventually [education director] John Page Williams, would get together and say, 'Where can we make the most difference? What issues are coming up where the Bay needs to have a voice?'"

Woman in a red sweater kneeling along the water's edge next to a white row boat.

In 1980, Nancy Kelly started her own environmental consulting firm, Coastal Resources Inc., and continued working to protect streams and wetlands.

Fred Kelly

In 1980, Kelly started her own environmental consulting firm, Coastal Resources Inc., and continued working to protect streams and wetlands amid the significant development occurring in the watershed. Since selling the company, she's remained deeply involved in water issues as a board member of the Chesapeake Rivers Association's Severn Riverkeeper Program.

She knows progress can seem slow, but is hopeful about the future and especially excited about the large stormwater restoration projects the Severn Riverkeeper Program is undertaking in the headwaters of the Severn River.

"What keeps me going? I'm still breathing!" she says. "If everybody does something, all together maybe we can make a difference."

Codi Yeager-90x110

Codi Yeager

Senior Writer, CBF

[email protected]

Issues in this Post

About CBF   Restoration   Water Quality  




Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in the media or articles on this site are those of the speakers or authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions held by CBF and the inclusion of such information does not imply endorsement by CBF. CBF is not responsible for the contents of any linked Website, or any link contained in a linked Website, or any changes or updates to such Websites. The inclusion of any link is provided only for information purposes.


The Bay Needs You

The State of the Bay Report makes it clear that the Bay needs our support now more than ever. Your donation helps the Chesapeake Bay Foundation maintain our momentum toward a restored Bay, rivers, and streams for today and generations to come.

Donate Today

Save the Bay

Founded in 1967, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay.

Save the Bay
x
This website uses cookies to tailor and enhance your online experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more information, including details on how to disable cookies, please visit our Privacy Policy. Close