Celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is an annual event that celebrates the culture, history and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary.
Join us from June 3 to 11, 2023 for Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week! Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is a time to celebrate the cultures, history and natural beauty of the nation's largest estuary. During the week, there are a wide variety of online and in-person events, volunteer opportunities and social media conversations for everyone to take part in to celebrate the Chesapeake Bay.
History and Purpose
In 2016, the Chesapeake Bay Commission worked with their legislative partners to formally designate nine days each June as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. This timing was chosen to correspond with two long-running Bay events—Clean the Bay Day in Virginia and the Patuxent River Wade-In in Maryland. Each year, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia pass official proclamations in honor of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. Several local county and city governments have followed suit over the years, marking their own observance of the Bay. Organizations and business are encouraged to hold events, activities and volunteer opportunities during this time to celebrate the uniqueness of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program is honored to help coordinate and play a role in this annual event.
During Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, organizations host recreational, educational and volunteer events across the entire watershed. If you’d like to add an event to the calendar below, please fill out this event submission form.
Events
View allSaturday, June 3, 2023
Free Fishing Days in Virginia
Make plans to take advantage of Free Fishing Days! Invite a family member or friend to get out and wet a line without having to purchase a fishing license.
View event detailsFree Fishing Days in Maryland
Participate in Maryland's Free Fishing Days to fish without a license.
View event detailsClean the Bay Day
Join people from around Virginia to clean up trash in along the Chesapeake Bay.
View event detailsSusquehanna Greenway Outdoor Expo
Learn about outdoor recreation at the Susquehanna Greenway Outdoor Expo.
View event detailsBay Discovery Fishing Trip
Spend the morning aboard the Marguerite in search of whatever is biting! Our experienced crew will provide all the knowledge and equipment necessary—just bring your enthusiasm!
View event detailsBird Banding at Salisbury University
Ornithologist (bird specialist) Professor Tami Ransom will show us how she uses mist nets to capture songbirds, and how to measure and mark them with ankle bands.
View event detailsJohn B. Cary Elementary School Garden Maintenance
Join the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for a garden cleanup and refresh for the conservation garden at John B. Cary Elementary School.
View event detailsIntroduction to Kayak Fishing
Learn from Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission about basic paddling skills and kayak fishing equipment.
View event detailsHabitat Team Volunteers in Patterson Park
Help build bird habitat in Audubon’s native plant gardens in Patterson Park!
View event detailsGwynn Oak Park Bug Blitz
Join Blue Water Baltimore staff to explore a local stream, search for and identify benthic macroinvertebrates, and learn about types of pollution that can affect their — and our– environment.
View event detailsInvasive Ivy Removal: Mount Olivet Cemetery
Remove invasive species from Mount Olivet Cemetery with Casey Trees.
View event detailsLivestock Tour
You’ve heard of endangered species in the wild, but how about on a farm?
View event detailsFirst Saturday Guided Walk
Join a docent naturalist to explore the Arboretum’s rich and unique native plant habitats.
View event detailsCarroll Watkins & Gwynn Oak Bug Blitz
Limited spaces available! First come, first served. Please register here:
View event detailsPlant Swap
Swap plants, enjoy refreshements and hear from the Maryland Master Gardeners!
View event detailsCelebrate on social media
Join environmental groups, community organizations, businesses, local leaders and nature enthusiasts from across the watershed as we celebrate the event over social media.
This year, the theme of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is “Chesapeake Journeys.” Each day, we will share stories about the journeys people and wildlife take within the Chesapeake region.
Saturday, June 3rd: Kicking off Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
Sunday, June 4th: From the headwaters to the Bay
Monday, June 5th: Wildlife migrations
Tuesday, June 6th: Restoring our watershed
Wednesday, June 7th: Preserving special places
Thursday, June 8th: Journey by land
Friday, June 9th: Journey by water
Saturday, June 10: Resilience of the watershed
Sunday, June 11: Begin your stewardship journey
Social media toolkit
Included in our social media toolkit are sample posts, graphics and relevant content you can share throughout the nine days. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #BayAwarenessWeek when posting about the event!
Photos
Review our collection of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week photographs to use for social media posts, event materials, and other communications. Refer to our Terms of Use page for proper citation.