News

Virginia Efforts Plant 3.5 Million Oysters This Season from the Northern Neck to the Eastern Shore

September 7, 2021

CBF's Virginia Oyster Team is completing its 2021 oyster restoration season today after raising about 3.5 million new oysters on innovative oyster barges docked at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. The barges produced a CBF Virginia record high spat set this year.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Outdoor Education Program Restarts This Fall after Pandemic Shutdown

September 1, 2021

CBF educators are excited to welcome teachers and students back to outdoor education programs this fall. The outdoor class program was suspended in March 2020 when the pandemic began.
Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament Returns This October in Maryland

September 1, 2021

The Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament returns for its fourth year in Maryland waters this fall from Oct. 9 to Oct. 17. The contest is designed to highlight the diversity of fish that surround oyster reefs. To do that, anglers will fish in areas where oyster reefs have been restored in Maryland.
Hampton Roads Faces Harmful Algal Blooms This Week

August 27, 2021

A proliferation of harmful algal blooms this week across Hampton Roads is clear in striking aerial photos and videos captured by CBF and American Multimedia Solutions near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on Aug. 26. The algae colored the water reddish-brown in many places, including Ocean View in Norfolk, Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach, and the Lafayette and York rivers.
Call for Nominations: Mira Lloyd Dock Award Recognizes Conservation and Urban Beautification Work

August 26, 2021

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is accepting nominations for the second annual Mira Lloyd Dock Partnership Diversity Award, given for conservation work in under-represented communities in Pennsylvania.
CBF Bands in the Sand Event Postponed until June 2022

August 10, 2021

CBF's Bands in the Sand event, originally scheduled for August 28, 2021, has been postponed to June 11, 2022.
It’s an Opportune Time for Action and Cleaner Water

August 5, 2021

Seizing current opportunities can put Pennsylvania back on track toward its goals for cleaner local rivers and streams and saving the Bay. But action must be taken now; time is running out.
Report: Freshwater Mussels Unsung Heroes at Risk in Chesapeake Bay Watershed

July 29, 2021

Freshwater mussels play an amazing yet little-known role in healthy rivers and streams. As their numbers dramatically decline, we must now focus on restoring mussel populations, according to a report issued this week.
Partnership Adds 78 Oyster Reef Balls off Coast of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland

July 29, 2021

CBF staff and project partners added 78 reef balls to the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative site located in the Herring Bay oyster sanctuary. The oyster reef balls were placed about two miles offshore in a sanctuary protected from oyster harvesting.
"Livers of Our Rivers" Could Help Clean Up Pennsylvania Waters

July 29, 2021

As a new report details the importance of restoring declining populations of freshwater mussels within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, multiple programs in Pennsylvania are working to do just that.
Virginia Landowners Eligible for Full Funding to Plant Streamside Trees in Upper James Watershed

July 27, 2021

Under a new initiative, landowners in parts of Augusta, Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland, and Rockbridge counties can now receive full funding to plant trees along rivers and streams that eventually flow into the James River.
Squad of CBF Students Sets Out to Squish Spotted Lanternflies

July 22, 2021

CBF’s Student Leadership Council has launched “Squish Squad,” joining efforts throughout Pennsylvania to contain and eradicate the invasive spotted lanternfly.
New Virginia Plan Should Protect Clean Water and Communities Vulnerable to Flooding

July 21, 2021

As Virginia seeks feedback from people affected by flooding to develop a coastal protection plan, CBF urges leaders to use this opportunity to provide greater water quality protections while defending vulnerable communities.
More Portsmouth Residents to Grow Oysters in Chesapeake Bay Foundation Effort

June 24, 2021

More people in Portsmouth will be able to raise oysters for restoration work this year as CBF expands its oyster gardening program. For the first time in more than a decade, CBF is offering an oyster gardening workshop in Portsmouth.
Clean the Bay Day Prevents 52,306 Pounds of Litter to Virginia Waterways in 2021

June 11, 2021

More than 2,000 volunteers across Virginia picked up 52,306 pounds of litter as part of Clean the Bay Day in 2021, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) annual longstanding litter cleanup.
Clean the Bay Day Returns the First Week of June after COVID Cancellation in 2020

May 3, 2021

Clean the Bay Day, Virginia’s long-running annual litter cleanup, is coming back in a new way the first week of June after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Last year was the first time the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia tradition missed a year since the event began in 1989.
Historic Budget for Clean Water Programs Passes Virginia General Assembly

March 1, 2021

Approving historically strong levels of investment in clean water programs, the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates this weekend passed final budget amendments for the upcoming second year of the biennial budget.
Virginia Bans on Balloon Releases and Polystyrene Are Environmental Wins

February 23, 2021

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation prohibiting the outdoor release of nonbiodegradable balloons and separate legislation requiring food vendors to phase out their use of polystyrene takeout containers will greatly enhance Virginia’s efforts to prevent litter from polluting waterways.
CBF Urges Maryland Legislators to Restore Funding for Outdoor Education

February 22, 2021

CBF is asking Maryland legislators to restore funding for outdoor education programs that Gov. Larry Hogan zeroed out for the second straight year.
Norfolk Artist's Work Inspired by Chesapeake Bay Foundation Oyster Restoration

February 11, 2021

A new exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art displays striking collages by Norfolk artist Andy Harris inspired by CBF's oyster restoration efforts and exploring the connection between food and art.
"Do Nothing" Toxic Ozone Rule Challenged by Health and Environmental Groups

February 11, 2021

Today, fourteen health and environmental groups challenged ozone standards in a lawsuit in a federal appeals court. The move comes in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Trump administration’s last-minute refusal to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone, and less than a month after Earthjustice sued the EPA over a similar rule affecting particulate matter.
CBF Adds 14 Million Oysters to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland in 2020

February 11, 2021

CBF continued its long-term push to restore oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay by adding more than 14 million oysters in Maryland waters during 2020’s pandemic-affected season.
Virginia House and Senate Release Budgets for Clean Water Programs

February 10, 2021

The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates today formally proposed separate amendments for the upcoming second year of the biennial budget. The budget proposals include investment in key programs that benefit Virginia’s rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.
CBF Files Lawsuit Contesting Wastewater Permit for Major Proposed Eastern Shore Development

February 1, 2021

Today CBF filed a lawsuit against the Maryland Department of the Environment contesting the legality of the wastewater discharge permit it issued for Trappe at Lakeside, a major development proposed on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Acclaimed Virginia Naturalist, Educator, and Photographer Bill Portlock Retires

January 21, 2021

Following a five-decade career advancing environmental education in Virginia and producing stunning nature photography, Bill Portlock retired earlier this month as Senior Educator for CBF.