Press Release

Thousands of volunteers across Virginia have picked up at least 31,000 pounds of litter as of late Saturday as part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Clean the Bay Day, Virginia’s largest and longest-running litter cleanup.

Sporadic rain and a somewhat chilly morning in parts of the Commonwealth were no match for the more than 2,300 volunteers that gathered at sites across Virginia on foot and by boat, where they removed at least 31,000 pounds of litter and debris and filled at least 1,000 trash bags, according to preliminary estimates.

“Clean the Bay Day is the ultimate example of ‘many hands make light work,’” said CBF Hampton Roads Outreach & Advocacy Manager Lisa Renée Jennings. “In just a few hours, volunteers picked up tens of thousands of pounds of litter that’s now no longer at risk of polluting our rivers and streams, as well as the Chesapeake Bay.”

Cleanups were held at scores of sites across Virginia, including in Hampton Roads, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Richmond, the Shenandoah Valley, and Northern Virginia. Many partner groups, including Virginia’s state parks, joined CBF within the Chesapeake Bay watershed by hosting cleanup sites.

The most common items found during clean-ups are plastic and glass bottles, aluminum cans, plastic bags, and cigarette butts. But volunteers recovered many larger items, such as a bait bucket, and some unusual items like a bag of bullets, a rusty machete, and mannequin legs.

Volunteers at Ancarrow’s Landing in Richmond also helped cut loose an entangled fishing line from a large stick to make sure it was thrown away.

Typically held the first Saturday in June, Clean the Bay Day’s earlier date this year helped allow more families to participate and helped provide a cooler—albeit rainy in some spots—climate in which to clean up.

Volunteers participating in Saturday’s event included elected officials, community leaders, small businesses, large corporations, and thousands of other Virginians.

Edward Jones is the presenting sponsor for Clean the Bay Day in 2026. Other valued sponsors include Cox Communications, ITC Federal, LLC, and the Port of Virginia.

Since 1989, Clean the Bay Day has mobilized over 177,000 volunteers who have removed over 7.1 million pounds of debris from our land and waterways.

Representatives from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) on Friday emphasized the importance of improving water quality and the need for volunteers while touring the Lafayette River in Norfolk, as the organization gears up for its annual Clean the Bay Day event on May 2.

In just about an hour touring the river by boat, officials picked up a plastic bag, old cans, weathered glass bottles, and a Styrofoam container, among other items—highlighting the need to continue efforts like Clean the Bay Day along our local waterways.

“Microplastics pose a large threat to the entire Bay watershed, including areas in and around Norfolk like the Lafayette,” said CBF Hampton Roads Outreach & Advocacy Manager Lisa Renée Jennings. “Litter and trash can wash up anywhere in local tributaries, and it’s important to stay vigilant throughout the year.

The survey came as CBF and partners gear up for Clean the Bay Day, Virginia’s statewide major litter cleanup scheduled this year for the morning of May 2.

Litter and microplastics can create major issues for the health of the Chesapeake Bay when things accumulate in local tributaries, as well as areas farther west that ultimately feed into the Bay.

“Whether it’s picking up a single plastic bag, avoiding lawn treatments that contribute to damaging runoff, or using less water in general, every little bit helps in helping preserve and restore the Bay,” Jennings said.

Clean the Bay Day is Virginia’s largest single-day volunteer litter clean-up each year. In 2025, nearly 3,500 volunteers and more than 70 CBF partners came together at over 200 sites to collectively remove more than 70,000 pounds of debris and litter.

For more information or to register for this year’s Clean the Bay Day, visit cbf.org/clean.

For questions, please email ctbd@cbf.org or call 757-644-4122.

As Bills Cross Over, Advocates Urge Legislators to Uphold Vital Environmental Funding

Last week, the Maryland Senate passed a state operating budget that largely supports continued progress for Chesapeake Bay restoration. Now, as the House considers its budget, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and advocates are urging delegates to uphold a strong environmental budget and avoid additional cuts to clean water programs and agencies.

“Despite another challenging budget deficit this year, investments in the Chesapeake Bay have held steadfast with bipartisan support. But we are not yet over the finish line, and potential last-minute surprises could set back years of Bay restoration progress,” said CBF Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden. “As legislators enter the final month of session, we thank them for protecting critical environmental funding thus far and urge them to swiftly pass a Bay-friendly budget for next year.”

Maryland’s budget is comprised of three pieces of legislation, including:

• An operating budget (SB282), which funds year-to-year expenses like salaries and equipment;
• A capital budget (SB283), which is funded by bonds and used for longer-lasting things like buying property or repairing facilities; and
• The Budget Reconciliation and Finance Act (BRFA) (SB284), which makes changes to funding mandates and programs to balance past, current, and future budgets.

As of March 24, the operating budget and BRFA bills have passed the full Senate and gone on to the full House of Delegates by the House Appropriations Committee. The capital budget bill is on track to be passed by the Senate this week. Once both Senate and House budgets are passed, they will go to Governor Moore who has the constitutional authority to veto individual budget line items.

The final budget will fund critical agency operations and programs that support the environment and people, communities, and jobs that rely on it. Agencies that help protect the Chesapeake Bay, including the Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, as well as the Maryland Energy Administration, require adequate operating and capital budgets to fulfill their duties to the Bay. These agency budgets only account for 1.5 percent of state spending and are especially sensitive to additional cuts.

Also included in these budgets are vital environmental programs such as the Bay Restoration Fund, 2010 Atlantic and Coastal Bays Trust Fund, and Program Open Space that protect clean water and inject money directly into local communities, businesses, and economies.

Over the past few months, CBF has testified, rallied allies, and demonstrated to legislators the importance of environmental agencies and programs that support a healthy Chesapeake Bay. Now, CBF is urging legislators to finalize a budget that avoids further environmental funding cuts and supports continued progress to clean the Bay. Environmental advocates who wish to do the same can learn more and contact their legislators here.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is collaborating with Hampton University to pioneer one of the first college living shoreline courses in the country under a new grant announced this month.

As part of the project, CBF will also work with students and community volunteers to create more than 1,200 feet of shoreline protection, almost an acre of new wetlands, and new oyster habitat along the banks of the university’s campus.

The roughly $1 million grant awarded to CBF by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Chesapeake Small Watershed Grants Program will support the creation of a specialized Chesapeake Bay Landscaping Professionals (CBLP) course at Hampton University.

This course, designed and taught by living shoreline experts, will accommodate at least five students and teach them how to design and permit their own living shoreline. The students will then put their learning into action by installing the living shoreline on the Hampton University campus.

The course will notably recruit students in both the marine science and architecture fields so they could work as partners, said Dr. Deidre Gibson, Chair and Associate Professor at Hampton University in the department of Marine and Environmental Science.

“I would love to see that collaboration between the two types of students and seeing them getting involved in a real-world project—one that actually is going to happen; something that they’re planning, they’re designing, and that we implement,” Gibson said.

“I know we’ve never had a class like that,” she said. “A lot of our courses go out in the field, but not like this. So that’s what I’m really looking forward to.”

CBF will receive the grant and work with partners at the university and the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, a nonprofit conservation landscaping advocacy group, to create and deliver the new curriculum.

Living shorelines are created by planting native wetland plants, wetland grasses, shrubs, and trees at various points along a shoreline. Plantings are often paired with carefully placed bioengineering materials, such as manmade coconut-fiber rolls (or biologs), to protect vegetation and soils or in some cases oyster shell or restoration material. And, where viable, oysters can be included as well.

In fact, these new living shoreline projects will complement oyster reefs CBF recently installed in the Hampton River using other NFWF grant funding.

Hampton Roads has been identified as the second most vulnerable U.S. region to risks from sea level rise in the country—and living shorelines can help address these threats.

“I think it’s critical that we have this type of experience for undergrad and graduate students who are already strongly considering fields in conservation or related to conservation work,” said Stacie McGraw, Director of Operations and Living Infrastructure at Wetlands Watch and the Virginia Director for CBLP.

That would include environmental and marine sciences—but also conservation-adjacent professions like architecture and engineering, McGraw said.

“To have that sustainable conservation lens going into that work as their career is invaluable in really shifting the needle on how our built spaces are designed and how our natural resources are protected through the next generation.”

The education component of the grant is most long-lasting and impactful, said Kati Grigsby, Hampton Roads Restoration Coordinator for CBF.

“That students will have a tangible impact on campus is pretty cool,” Grigsby said. “It could be a standard offered at our universities. Hampton University is leading the way on that effort.”

Courses where students are able to be outside and interact with the environment necessarily increase their connection to place, said Dr. Joey Reustle, Assistant Professor of Marine and Environmental Science at Hampton University.

“I think it’s a pretty powerful message that they don’t have to fly 3,000 miles away to work in some other system, but that they can do research, they can restore habitat, they can make a big difference close to home,” Reustle said.

“And that they can monitor that and effect change is a really powerful message.”

Virginia farm and environmental leaders join forces for clean water budget

As Virginia legislators prepare to finalize the budget for the next two years, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), Virginia Farm Bureau, and Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts are urging leaders to fix a funding shortfall in farm conservation practices and invest in other programs that reduce pollution to waterways.

For more than 40 years, Virginia’s Agricultural Cost-Share Program has helped farmers install solutions that both benefit the environment and their farms. Fencing cattle out of streams, planting streamside trees and grasses, and other conservation practices are the most cost-effective steps Virginia can take to reduce nutrient pollution to local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.

The program has been fully funded since 2022. This much-needed period of stability has allowed program staff numbers to grow while these experts gain experience and build valuable relationships with farmers.

However, the current budget proposal introduced by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin would underfund the program, threatening to upset that stability. Fortunately, legislators are currently considering budget amendments that would fully fund the program.

Virginia legislators have set a July 1, 2028, deadline for farmers to meet goals for reducing pollution from agriculture. Even after reaching these goals, continued investment will be needed to keep pollution from growing.

“Meeting Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay clean up goals requires a heavy lift from farmers. Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas,” said Martha Moore, senior vice president of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau. “Farmers are doing their part to improve the land and waterways, but we need the state to fulfill its promise. Cuts to the agricultural cost-share program would mean losing trained staff, valuable expertise, and hard-earned trust.”

This state budget will be the first after Virginia joined state and federal leaders from across the region in December to commit to an update to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. That new accord binds Virginia to meeting numerous environmental goals by 2040.

“Farmers are on the front lines of efforts to create clean-running streams and a healthy Chesapeake Bay,” said CBF Virginia Policy Manager Jay Ford. “After recommitting to the Bay Agreement, Virginia should back words with action by fully funding its clean water programs.”

Budget amendments currently under consideration would fully fund the program by adding $8.5 million to the introduced budget funding levels for the program in the first year and $71.89 million in the second (Items 362 #19h by Del. Krizek and 362 #13s by Sen. Marsden, as well as 362 #7h by Del. Bloxom and 362 #10s Sen. Pillion).

“Farmers rely on consistent state support to protect both our waterways and their livelihoods,” said Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Executive Director Kendall Tyree. “Decades of collaboration have delivered cleaner streams and productive farms. Now we must make sure we don’t backtrack on that progress.”

This Sunday, Feb. 22, Virginia legislators will release budget proposals in both the House and Senate. In addition to agricultural cost-share, CBF urges lawmakers to support the following provisions:

• Save Virginia’s Trees. As Virginia loses tree cover at an alarming rate, legislators can increase support for the Department of Forestry’s Trees for Clean Water grant program, which funds community-based tree planting and restoration projects. Legislators should allocate $4 million to the program through budget amendments 362 #18h (Del. Krizek) and 362 #15s (Sen. Surovell).
• Make Pay-for-Outcomes Permanent. This effort incentivizes innovation in environmental restoration by paying only for verified pollution reductions. Demand for this program outpaced funding six to one in its first year. Virginia can make the program permanent and add $20 million to the fund through the budget amendment Item 368 #9h from Del. Krizek.
• Increase funding for the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), which expands nature-based stormwater solutions on private properties, schools, and community sites to reduce pollution in rivers and streams.

“Virginia’s rivers and streams are the lifeblood of our economy and way of life. When we invest in clean water, we’re paid back in dividends in the form of healthier communities, thriving businesses, and higher quality of life,” said Ford.

A new alliance will help restore the mussel population in the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s namesake river in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as part of a grant announced this month.

Freshwater mussels, which provide critical bay ecosystem benefits like filtering water, creating habitat, and removing excess nitrogen, are considered the most endangered class of organisms in the country, with about two-thirds of species vulnerable to extinction.

The grant to CBF through the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Grants Program will help power the work of the Pamunkey Freshwater Mussel Alliance, a coalition working on mussel restoration efforts in the Pamunkey River watershed.

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is excited to be a partner on the WILD grant and in standing up the alliance, said Joe Capella, Natural Resources Director for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

“Tribal sovereignty will be strengthened through the grant by amplifying Tribal voices in deciding how these culturally significant species are managed on and around their ancestral lands while also identifying a unique opportunity for the Tribe,” Capella said.

The grant will, in part, help to conduct targeted outreach to landowners in mussel hot spots and to investigate whether the existing Pamunkey Tribe hatchery can be used to help grow freshwater mussels.

The alliance will also work to identify populations of threatened and endangered mussels and characterize fish hosts that mussels rely on for reproduction.

The Pamunkey Indian Reservation spans about 1,600 acres in King William County—an area also facing ecological and climate-related threats like flooding and erosion.

“The Pamunkey Fish Hatchery operated as an American shad hatchery for over 100 years, and we are excited to explore how we may re-tool the facility to provide meaningful restoration support for freshwater mussels and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem through Traditional Ecological Knowledge,” Capella said.

Other alliance partners include Virginia Commonwealth University, the York River and Small Coastal Basin Roundtable, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Randolph-Macon College, Wetland Restoration and Training LLC, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Pamunkey River Watershed is home to at least 18 freshwater mussel species—three of which are at significant risk of extinction.

The South Anna River, which is a tributary to the Pamunkey, represents an exciting opportunity for restoration following the recent Ashland Mill Dam removal which opened up over 100 miles of streams and rivers to migratory fish. Most freshwater mussels rely upon fish populations to complete their reproductive cycle, and this dam removal presents new opportunities for freshwater mussels in the watershed.

The first public meeting of the alliance is expected to be held virtually on February 26 and is open to the public.

The WILD grants program is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with major funding support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (NWS). The total project amount of $243,800 will go toward restoration of freshwater mussels.

The alliance “represents a commitment to protecting species on the brink of extinction and restoring the biodiversity and health of the Pamunkey River watershed,” said Joe Wood, Virginia Senior Scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation thanks the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for providing funding through the WILD grant program for this work.

“We welcome partners from across the region to join Tribal leadership, scientists, conservation groups, and community members in building a future rooted in collaboration, sound science, and hands-on restoration,” Wood said.

“Together, we will safeguard these remarkable mussels and share their powerful story and value with the public.”

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Board of Trustees has elected Ann Pelham as its chair for a three-year term. Pelham spent her professional career in the media industry and is the retired publisher of Legal Times, an ALM Media company focused on law and lobbying in Washington, D.C. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

“Ann brings a thoughtful combination of strategic vision, sound judgment, and deep commitment to the Chesapeake Bay,” said Hilary Harp Falk, President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Her leadership, experience, and collaborative approach will be invaluable as CBF builds on decades of progress to restore the Bay. We are grateful for her continued service and look forward to working together to advance our mission for the Bay and its communities.”

Pelham joined CBF’s Board of Trustees in 2019, became Vice Chair in 2023, and was appointed as Vice Chair-Elect in 2025. She has also served as chair of the Audit & Finance Committee and as board liaison to the organization’s year-long strategic planning process. She takes the helm from outgoing Board Chair Otis Jones. Her term begins just after leaders around the region committed to an updated Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement that will guide the next 15 years of Bay restoration.

“I am honored to step into the role of board chair at a pivotal moment for the Bay,” Pelham said. “For decades, CBF has led efforts to save the Bay with science, credibility, and impact. The organization’s history of success, the strength of its team, and the collective voice of its members leave us well positioned to meet the challenges ahead.”

She praised Falk for being “an exemplary leader,” noting that “she is both hands on and strategic in her approach.” Pelham added, “Hilary has deepened and built relationships across the watershed for CBF.”

She emphasized the importance of partnership to ensure a thriving Chesapeake Bay and local waterways that benefit everyone in the region.

“As chair, I am committed to listening, learning, and engaging closely with CBF’s staff, partners, members, and community volunteers,” she said. “By working together, we will continue reducing pollution, restoring oysters, and rebuilding the fish and wildlife that depend on this extraordinary ecosystem. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Bay.”

Pelham spent the bulk of her career reporting and editing at Legal Times and other publications. She serves on the Duke University Board of Trustees, where she chaired the Undergraduate Education Committee and served as a member of the Executive Committee, among other roles. She also serves as a director of Canal Insurance Company, as president of the Jean T. and Heyward G. Pelham Foundation, and is a past President of the Duke Alumni Association.

Coalition Pushes for Pausing Industrial Menhaden Extraction in the Chesapeake Bay While Scientific Study is Completed

As lawmakers prepare to vote in the coming days on breakthrough legislation to address concerns around Virginia’s menhaden extraction industry in the Chesapeake Bay, groups are calling for a pause on the fishery while research occurs.

Menhaden are small, nutrient-rich forage fish that anchor the Chesapeake Bay food web, feeding iconic species like striped bass and osprey. They are targeted by an extraction fishery that grinds up more than 100 million pounds of Chesapeake menhaden every year for industrial uses.

“It’s time to prioritize the Bay’s long-term health over the short-term profits of a single corporation,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Forage Campaign Manager Will Poston. “The Bay is showing signs of unprecedented strain, and we can’t afford to continue to stick our heads in the sand. We must ensure sufficient menhaden are available to sustain the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem while scientists begin to address longstanding concerns about threats from concentrated industrial extraction.”

Proposed state legislation would better protect a fish at the heart of the Chesapeake Bay and finally begin to improve Bay-specific menhaden science. This comes after years of failed attempts in the General Assembly to fund research to inform harvest levels needed to protect the Bay. This legislative session the pieces of the puzzle could finally be lining up.

Those include HB1048, patroned by Del. Betsy Carr, which would pause the industrial menhaden fishery inside the Chesapeake Bay until research shows no harm to other fisheries or species. Recent bipartisan polling shows that 79 percent of Virgina voters support that approach. This bill would not reduce how much menhaden the industry can harvest. Workers would still be able to fish in the ocean, as they already do regularly, but Bay waters would be protected.

A separate bill from Del. Carr aims to reduce potential harm from the industrial menhaden fishery by setting different harvest limits at different points in the year, as well as require fisheries observers on industrial menhaden fishing trips (HB1049).

Adding urgency, a bill that aimed to establish a menhaden science fund failed to clear the Senate Finance Committee this week (SB474, patroned by Senator David Marsden). However, hope remains on the House side as a separate budget amendment by Del. Carr still under consideration would invest in menhaden research.

Recognizing the level of concern for the menhaden population, Congress passed a funding bill last month that included $2.5 million for NOAA to support menhaden research in the Bay.

These commonsense conservation measures would provide long-overdue accountability by protecting menhaden, and the jobs, communities, and ecosystems that depend on them. Carr’s legislation is expected to be taken up Monday by the House Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources – Chesapeake Subcommittee.
Warning signs point to a Chesapeake Bay under increasing stress. Osprey chicks are starving at unprecedented levels in parts of the Bay where they depend on menhaden for food. Small-scale watermen who catch menhaden for bait report catches down over 80% in recent years in Virginia, threatening livelihoods passed down through generations.

A new scientific assessment estimates far fewer menhaden up and down the Atlantic Coast than previously thought, but science specific to the Bay remains woefully inadequate.

Omega Protein and its associates have worked to delay meaningful action, blocking science and conservation efforts, violating harvest limits, and polluting the Bay.

“Virginia has an obligation to let data guide the management of Chesapeake Bay’s largest fishery. The science used to manage the Atlantic menhaden fishery is on a coastwide scale, even though nearly a quarter of total harvest occurs in Chesapeake Bay,” said Jaclyn Lunaas, forage fish program manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “HB1048 provides a commonsense mechanism for the Commonwealth to pause reduction fishing in the Bay until science demonstrates that this industrial harvest is not harming the ecosystem, a step that complements rather than rejects coastwide management by addressing its current limitations.”

Pollution and climate change are among the stressors on the menhaden population. Factory fishing by Omega Protein and its exclusive harvester partner Ocean Harvesters intensifies concerns about a population in decline being subject to high-volume extraction from Bay waters.

“Menhaden are integral to productive and thriving recreational fishing economies, as many of the most iconic Atlantic coast sportfish rely on this nutrient-packed forage fish,” said Mike Waine, Atlantic fisheries policy director with the American Sportfishing Association. “As warning signs mount for menhaden and the ecosystem, Virginia has the opportunity to respond with conservation-minded measures. Better protecting menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay protects a thriving recreational fishing economy here in the nation’s largest estuary and throughout the coast.”

The osprey crisis is ringing alarm bells in Virginia and beyond.

“Osprey chicks are starving to death,” said Alan Wingfield, president of the Richmond Audubon Society. “Osprey can’t speak, but they are telling us that there is something seriously wrong in the Bay and the need for action is urgent.”

The American Bird Conservancy is calling for action.

“Policy change is needed in the Chesapeake Bay to conserve menhaden and birds, and the Virginia legislature has the opportunity to do that right now,” said Brian Brooks, Vice President for Advocacy & Threats Programs at American Bird Conservancy. “Osprey nests are failing in the Bay and limited food availability is one of the reasons for this decline. These legislative proposals would advance needed research, science, and harvest limits on menhaden that would aid their conservation, benefitting the wider ecosystem, including osprey, which depend on this food source.”

This week CBF launched Save Menhaden, a new campaign raising awareness and mobilizing action to protect one of Virginia’s most critical natural resources.

“Protecting menhaden is essential for a healthy Bay and all the livelihoods that depend on thriving waterways,” said Poston. “That includes the community of Reedville, which has the most to lose if the fishery collapses due to short-sighted corporate interests. Let’s act now before it’s too late.”

Virginians must speak up and ensure legislators pass legislation that pauses industrial menhaden fishing in Virginia and supports research on menhaden in the Bay. Learn how to save the bay and our fish at savemenhaden.org.

Changes Could Better Protect Rockfish When They’re Most Vulnerable

Marylanders who want to help protect the Chesapeake Bay’s iconic striped bass should make their voices heard to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) this month. The agency is seeking public comment through Feb. 23 on proposed changes to the state’s striped bass recreational fishing seasons.

The adjustment would close all striped bass fishing in Maryland waters for the month of August, while reopening a few days of catch-and-release fishing in April. If enacted, this would simplify Maryland’s current, complex fishing calendar. It would also better reflect the latest science and trends striped bass are experiencing in Maryland.

“We’re seeing two major trends in Maryland: young striped bass are struggling to survive their early life, and mature fish are suffering high rates of summer mortality,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden. “It’s critical we consider these realities and protect Maryland’s striped bass however we can—especially considering up to 90% of the entire Atlantic Coast stock spawn here in the Bay.”

For six consecutive years, Maryland’s juvenile striped bass numbers have been well below average. Not enough young fish are surviving the challenges of early life — such as habitat loss and invasive predators like blue catfish — to maintain a healthy population.

At the same time, mature striped bass are experiencing high rates of catch-and-release mortality in the hot summer months. Low oxygen levels and heat-induced stress make striped bass most vulnerable during this time.

DNR’s proposed August closure could help reduce that stress. The proposed change would also add a few more days for catch-and-release fishing in April when air and water temperatures are cooler and fish are much less likely to die.

Lastly, the proposed season adjustment would simplify Maryland’s fishing schedule. The current calendar is a complex patchwork of some harvest days, some catch-and-release, and some closed entirely for a few weeks at a time. Simplifying to a single month-long closure would leave less margin for error and help improve angler compliance with fishing regulations.

“Our understanding about the health of the striped bass population is based on the assumption that anglers are fishing according to regulations,” added Colden. “Ensuring the rules are clear and easy to follow is key to conservation efforts.”

DNR is currently accepting public comments through Feb. 23 to formalize the proposed regulatory changes. Those who want to help preserve the striped bass’s future in Maryland can learn more and make their voices heard here.

In addition to Maryland’s efforts, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Striped Bass Board, which manages the striped bass fishery along the entire Atlantic Coast, will meet at its annual winter meeting on Feb. 5. CBF will remain engaged at every step and level, urging ASMFC to protect striped bass across the coast while Maryland takes local action.

Court agrees Queen Anne’s County Commissioners’ approval of Chesterhaven Beach development plan is against state law

In a win for clean water and habitat, on Friday, Dec. 5 the Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court decisively ruled in favor of environmental organizations over a long-standing dispute involving the Chesterhaven Beach development proposal on Kent Island. The property, which had been proposed for the development of dozens of new houses, includes an ecologically significant mix of forests, wetlands, and fields overlooking the Chester River that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

The development proposal, which has been a source of litigation for over 30 years, would have circumvented environmental laws and allowed dwellings to be built on a vulnerable 101-acre waterfront ecosystem. The property owner claimed that he had “grandfathered” rights to build 186 residential units, despite laws that limit residential density in this sensitive area to just one unit per 20 acres. The developer’s argument was rejected by the courts in 1992, but it became just the start of numerous unsuccessful legal challenges.

Last week, the Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court once again ruled in favor of environmental protection and clean water after a group of environmental partners challenged the latest Chesterhaven Beach development attempt in July 2024.

“Time and again, this developer has wasted everyone’s time trying to convince someone – anyone – that he somehow has grandfathered lots that do not exist,” said Queen Anne’s Conservation Association Executive Director Jay Falstad. “And time and again, the Courts have ruled against him. With this latest decision, hopefully the matter is now settled.”

The developer wanted to build 90 homes on the 101-acre waterfront property, which is almost entirely within Maryland’s Critical Area where state law limits development near tidal water. Perhaps most concerning, the proposal was approved by the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners, who claimed the property qualified as a “growth area” despite the state’s Critical Area laws.

The decision drew an immediate challenge from the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, and several adjacent neighbors, who raised six individual claims for summary judgment against the proposal. Maryland’s Critical Area Commission (CAC) also raised red flags with the proposal, including the development’s size, and that no application or notice had been provided to the CAC, in accordance with state law. CAC intervened in the case on Jan. 29, 2025.

After hearing the case, the Court found all six of the plaintiff’s arguments persuasive, including the failure of Commissioners and Chesterhaven Beach to give the CAC the required notice of the comprehensive rezoning that the project needed to move forward. The Court also agreed that Commissioners illegally adopted the rezoning request two years after the adoption of the County’s Comprehensive Plan, where such designations are required to be identified. The summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs underscores the legal finding that intense development is not permitted on this property.

“This proposal completely disregarded the health of the Chesapeake Bay and was simply against the law,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Advocacy Director Alan Girard. “We are pleased and encouraged that the Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court ruled against this dangerous, illegal development plan and upheld Maryland’s commitment to protect our land and water.”

Maryland’s Critical Area law protects land within 1,000 feet of high tide or tidal wetlands to minimize the harm of new development on Bay water quality, habitat, and wildlife.

The Chesterhaven Beach property includes 1.6 miles of vulnerable and ecologically important shoreline on the Chester River and Piney Creek. The property’s mix of forests, marshes, and wetlands supports wildlife, naturally filters polluted stormwater runoff, and is vital to Maryland’s resilience against flooding and climate change.

“In the end, this landowner should do what every other landowner is required to do in Queen Anne’s County: follow the Comprehensive Plan, follow the law, and follow the process of the Critical Area Commission,” Falstad said.

QACA was represented by its longtime attorney Jesse Hammock and Parker|Counts of Easton, Maryland.

For Information Contact

Jay Falstad, Queen Anne’s Conservation Association, jay.falstad@qaca.org, 410-739-6570

Valerie DiMarzio, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, vdimarzio@cbf.org, 215-900-5719

Jesse Hammock, jhammock@parkercountslaw.com, 410-822-1122