Press Center
Learn about the Bay Program's latest progress in our science and restoration efforts. Members of the media are invited to contact the Chesapeake Bay Program communications office with questions and requests for interviews or information.

2020 Archives
- Chesapeake Bay dead zone smaller than in recent years
- Chesapeake Bay Program welcomes feedback on Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan
- Chesapeake Executive Council adopts diversity statement
- Chesapeake Bay Program reports overall decline in nitrogen, sediment pollution reaching the Bay
- Chesapeake Bay Program reports decline in underwater grass abundance
- 2020 Blue Crab Advisory Report Released
- Slightly smaller-than-average dead zone predicted for Chesapeake Bay
- Join communities across the watershed in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
- Record amount of freshwater impacts Bay water quality
- Chesapeake Bay Program releases 2018-19 Bay Barometer
2020 Media Advisories
September 09, 2020
Citizens Advisory Committee to Host Environmental Quality and Public Health Webinar
On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Citizens Advisory Committee will host “Bridging the Gaps Between Environmental Quality and Public Health”, a live webinar that seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the connections between the two fields. This virtual session is free and open to all.
This expert panel will aid professionals and stakeholders in both fields by helping them to discover the opportunities that exist to bridge gaps and inform efforts for positive change. The webinar will explore questions related to policy, health care, environmental justice, food security, climate change and climate justice.
The Citizens Advisory Committee is a group of residents throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, who are appointed by their respective governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C., to advise the Chesapeake Executive Council on all aspects of the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.
Who
- Julie Lawson, vice-chair, Citizens Advisory Committee and director, Mayor’s Office of the Clean City, District of Columbia. (moderator)
- Surili Patel, director, Center for Climate Change, Health and Equity, American Public Health Association (moderator)
- Doug Farquhar, director of government affairs, National Environmental Health Association
- Adrienne Hollis, senior climate justice and health scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists
- Liz Perera, climate policy director, Sierra Club
- Dr. Sacoby Wilson, associate professor, University of Maryland
- Nsedu Obott Witherspoon, executive director, Children’s Environmental Health Network
When
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
Where
Virtual—please register by 12:00 p.m. ET on September 16, 2020 at www.allianceforthebay.org/webinar. Once you register, you will be emailed instructions on how to access the webinar.
Media RSVP by September 14, 2020
- Rachel Felver,
- Chesapeake Bay Program Communications Director
- (410) 387-1914
- rfelver@chesapeakebay.net
August 12, 2020
2020 Executive Council Meeting
On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event during which they will set goals and provide guidance for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The council, established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983, meets on an annual basis.
During the meeting, the council will announce the adoption of a diversity, equity, inclusion and justice statement for the Chesapeake Bay Program and hear remarks from Dr. Janice Underwood, chief diversity, equity, inclusion and justice officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, members of the Executive Council will have the opportunity to give remarks about how Bay restoration can be used to address challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More detailed information can be found on the 2020 Executive Council meeting website.
Who
- The Honorable Larry J. Hogan, Jr., Governor, State of Maryland (Executive Council Chair)
- The Honorable Ralph S. Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
- The Honorable Gene Yaw, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
- The Honorable Douglas Benevento, Associate Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
- The Honorable Austin Caperton, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
- The Honorable Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
- The Honorable Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- The Honorable Basil Seggos, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
- The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, District of Columbia
When
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. ET
Where
Virtual:
- via the web: www.meetingtomorrow.com/webcast/2020executivecouncil
- via phone: dial into any of these numbers: (312) 626-6799, (646) 558-8656, or (301) 715-8592, (669) 900-9128, or (253) 215-8782, or (346) 248-7799 and enter in meeting ID: 896 5455 3511
(meeting room will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting)
Media RSVP by August 14, 2020
- Rachel Felver
- Chesapeake Bay Program Communications Director
- (410) 387-1914
- rfelver@chesapeakebay.net
Media Resources
Background Information: Overview of Chesapeake Bay Program | Chesapeake Bay Facts & Figures | Backgrounders and Fact Sheets | Glossary of Terms
Photos: Images from around the Bay watershed, including crabs, oysters, forest buffers, wetlands and more.
Logos: Bay Program Logo (.tif, .png, .eps, .svg)
RSS: Feed of recent press releases.