Explore our educational videos, fact sheets, tips and tools for saving the Bay, directions to our facilities, and more!
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
There is no other estuary in the world with a network of rivers like the one that feeds Chesapeake Bay. Every square inch in the drainage basins of those rivers is connected directly to the Bay. The Chesapeake itself is a river, after all. It is the drowned valley of the Susquehanna, a 200-mile-long tidal river mouth. In this episode, John Page Williams provides a geography lesson of the Chesapeake's life blood--its rivers.
Video
Norfolk’s Lafayette River was once polluted, but thanks to work by CBF, the Elizabeth River Project, and other partners, the river is now better known for successful oyster restoration.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
In March, you can see the tiny, wedge-shaped larvae of barnacles catching early spring plankton. They scull about with their six legs, not yet ready to settle and grow into the barnacles we know. Most Bay lovers have at least one good barnacle story. Invariably these tales involved hands cut by sharp shells, or speed- and fuel-robbing crust on boat bottoms. But these crustaceans do more than create havoc for humans. They create little ecosystems on dock and pier pilings and fallen trees. In this episode, John Page opens up the world of yet another small Bay creature that has a story that surpasses its tiny size.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
In this episode, John Page Williams brings into focus one of the tiny--but important--mysteries of the Chesapeake. Copepods. They are among the most abundant multicellular animals on earth. But they fly so far under the radar that their species don't even qualify for common names.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
While February is the shortest month of the year, to many anglers it can seem like the longest. What happens to the Bay's species when the cold water of winter sets in? In this episode, John Page takes us beneath the surface of February's Bay--who hibernates; who settles into deep, warmer waters; who heads out to sea.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
Winter brings several diving ducks from Canada and Alaska that thrive on the open Chesapeake. In this episode, John Page introduces us to four sea duck species attracted to the Bay's historically rich bottom food stores found in oyster beds.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
The Chesapeake has a healthy population of otters. In fact, every river system has at least one family. Otters are perhaps the wildest, most elusive mammals on the Chesapeake. They certainly see more of us than we do of them. However, if you are lucky enough to spot one, watching ano tter play on the ice if February is sure to be one of the highlights of your year! In this episode, John Page introduces us to these playful Chesapeake residents and dives into what makes these semi-aquatic mammals so otterly unique.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
Did you know it's likely that most members of every population of bald eagles on the East Coast visit the Chesapeake at some point in their lives? In this episode, John Page Williams shares information about bald eagles in the Bay, where you can find them, and tips for identifying them, even if they are immature or too far away to distinguish their telltale white head.
Video
A close-up look at the benefits of rotational grazing.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
Fossils put Bay time into perspective. Features of today's region were already recognizable when the Atlantic Ocean flooded the mouth of the Susquehanna River system 15,000 years ago. In this episode, John Page takes us back to the Bay during the Miocene Epoch and points out spots where fossils from that time can still be found, as well as resources for learning more.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
In this episode, John Page introduces us to the Chesapeake's most abundant aquatic mammal and one of the few that are active in winter--muskrats. Curious how a warm-blooded mammal can live in an aquatic habitat in the dead of a Chesapeake winter? Learn that and more.
Chesapeake Almanac Podcast
When the cold fronts push into the Chesapeake region you can expect to see (and hear) large flocks of tundra swans sweeping in after them. These are creatures of habit, or some may say tradition, flying more than 1,000 miles to the same wintering grounds each year. In this episode, John Page shares some of the reasons these birds select the Chesapeake, as well as what changing conditions in the Bay may mean for their future.
