Gov. Shapiro Proclamation Marks Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 40 Years in Pennsylvania

As the Pennsylvania office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) this week marks 40 years of work in the Keystone State, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a proclamation on Sept. 28 congratulating the organization.

Because the Susquehanna River is the source of roughly half of the fresh water that enters the Chesapeake Bay, work in Pennsylvania has long been key to restoring the Bay while creating healthier waterways in the Commonwealth.

CBF’s Pennsylvania office has led on-the-ground restoration work, advocacy with elected leaders, hands-on education programs where students learn outside, and litigation to hold polluters and regulators accountable.

“Pennsylvania rivers and streams are healthier today because of the thousands of people who have come together for clean water over the course of four decades,” said CBF Pennsylvania Executive Director Julia Krall. “From farm conservation work in Lancaster County, to advocating for smart policies in Harrisburg, to paddling canoes with students on the Susquehanna, together we’re creating healthier waterways for the next generation.”

CBF announced its plans to open a Harrisburg office in the fall of 1986, soon after the state formally joined Maryland and Virginia in the regional effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay. The opening was highlighted in a Sept. 28, 1986, front page article in Harrisburg’s Patriot News.

Since then, CBF has worked with partners, farmers, legislators, and governors to safeguard Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams.

The Sept. 28 proclamation by Gov. Shapiro lauded CBF’s efforts. “My Administration, alongside the research and advocacy work done by the CBF, has accelerated efforts to clean up local streams and reduce pollution flowing to the Bay while supporting our farmers, growing our economy, and strengthening communities across the Commonwealth,” the proclamation states.

Some key achievements in recent years include:

• The completion of the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, in which CBF led hundreds of partners in planting 10 million native trees throughout Pennsylvania. These trees absorb and filter polluted runoff from rainstorms, stabilize streambanks, alleviate extreme summer heat, and create habitat for wildlife.
• Launching holistic restoration plans to target environmental work on Pennsylvania streams and rivers where they can have the greatest benefit, coordinating between farmers, landowners, partners, and communities.
• Successfully advocating for state legislators to create a fund to help farmers install clean water projects, known as the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program.
• Making the Eastern Hellbender the official state amphibian thanks to the efforts of a group of high school students on CBF’s Student Leadership Council and dedicated state legislators. These giant salamanders are the poster child for clean water work, as they need healthy streams to thrive.

Those achievements demonstrate what is possible when Pennsylvanians work together. But significant challenges remain.

According to the Department of Environmental Protection, 31,451 miles of Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams—about 37 percent—are so polluted that they are considered impaired. Today’s more intense rainstorms are making it harder to address polluted runoff and flooding in Pennsylvania communities. The rapid growth of data centers is raising new concerns about potential threats to the environment.

“Forty years of progress shows that Pennsylvania can restore its rivers and streams by working together,” said Krall. “To face the challenges of the next forty years, we’ll need an even greater dose of that same determination, investment, and collaboration. Together we can ensure a future where Pennsylvania’s waters flow clean and clear and our farms and communities continue to thrive.”