Celebrate the Bay in your Backyard During the 10th Annual Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week

Chesapeake Bay Watershed—Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is a time to celebrate all the natural beauty and resources that the Chesapeake watershed has to offer. Every year, the week kicks off with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clean the Bay Day, which will take place this year on June 7.  Normally, the Patuxent River Wade-In (formerly known as Bernie Fowler’s Wade-In) is held on the final day of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, which is June 15 this year, but this annual event will be held on June 8. 2025 marks 10 years since the Chesapeake Bay Commission worked with legislatures in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to recognize this national treasure. While these three states officially designate this week as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, this annual celebration is now highlighted by many organizations across the watershed.

This year’s theme is “Bay in Your Backyard.” All organizations and individuals are encouraged to celebrate the waters they see and use every day, while learning more about how their local rivers and streams play a significant role in keeping the Chesapeake Bay healthy. With the Chesapeake Bay watershed spanning a massive 64,000 square miles across six states and Washington, D.C., people often miss how big of an impact they can make as environmental stewards when they don’t have regular access to the Bay. This year’s event will aim to educate on the importance of Bay tributaries and environmental stewardship in one’s local area. With over 18 million individuals living in the watershed and 900 non-profit organizations dedicated to the environment around us, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is well equipped for making a big difference!

Any and all organizations and individuals are encouraged to join us in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week! The Chesapeake Bay Program has partnered with other organizations such as Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Arundel Rivers Federation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservancy, Chesapeake Research Consortium, Maryland Department of the Environment, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to develop a social media toolkit that includes sample posts, content to share and a photo gallery that can be used for inspiration.

Be sure to check out our events calendar to find an event happening near you! Here is a sample of some of the many events happening around the watershed this year:

• Saturday, June 7: Novice and experienced paddlers are invited to join the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership in Clearfield, Pennsylvania for a paddling refresher and a guided trip down the Susquehanna River.
• Sunday, June 8: Join the Natural History Society of Maryland and learn how to spot edible early summer plants in Parkville, Maryland.
• Monday, June 9: During Lancaster Water Week, join Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake for a guided tour of how Ascension Lutheran Church is caring for our watershed by creating a wildlife habitat.
• Tuesday, June 10: Sit down and relax at home in front of your computer and learn more about how the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality protects and restores the Chesapeake Bay.
• Wednesday, June 11: Take in “Surf and Turf: A Chesapeake Bay Watershed Story” with the Alliance for the Chesapeake in Staunton, Virginia.
• Friday, June 13: Join Nature Forward for a walk in the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. and learn all about ferns.
• Saturday, June 14: It’s the 8th annual Baltimore Flotilla! Dress in your finest 70s gear, grab your paddles and join the Waterfront Partnership in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

To stay up to date with how to get involved during the week, visit our Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week website and connect with us through social media using the hashtags #BayAwarenessWeek and #BayInYourBackyard.

Quotes

“The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans 64,000-square-miles from Cooperstown, New York to Virginia Beach, Virginia and from the Potomac River headwaters in West Virginia to the headwaters of the Nanticoke River in Delaware. The Bay is truly in our towns, communities and backyards throughout this entire region, meaning that what happens on your local lands and waters play an incredibly important role in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. As the future of the watershed is on all our minds these days, it’s important to pause this Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week and celebrate where we are now, while recognizing the incredible progress made by our many partners over the past 42 years in restoring and preserving this critical ecosystem.”  

• Lee McDonnell, Acting Director, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Environmental Protection Agency

“The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and everlasting wonder of our region. With its varied habitats, diverse species and multitude of community leaders and historical figures, there’s no other place like the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Chesapeake Conservancy is eager to ring in another Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week and highlight the many wonders of the Bay.”

•  EJ Amyot, Interim President and CEO, Chesapeake Conservancy

“Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is a time to celebrate our shared progress and renew our commitment to restoring one of our nation’s most treasured waterways. We are proud to work side-by-side with our communities, our utilities, our farmers and our local leaders to implement conservation practices that make a real difference—from reducing nutrient pollution to planting trees that protect our streams. Together, we’ve achieved large reductions in nitrogen entering the Bay and we are moving forward with urgency.”

• Serena McIlwain, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment

“The Chesapeake Bay is the setting for lifelong memories, and it powers our economy in Maryland. Its importance cannot be understated. This Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, UMCES is excited to celebrate our progress towards a healthy and prosperous Bay and share the research that has guided state, federal and organizational efforts to protect the Chesapeake for a century.”

• Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

“This past year of visioning what is next in the restoration effort can be likened to sailing a ship in challenging winds, and I am so proud to have watched our partnership navigate by choosing courage over comfort in determining the destination.  Comfort would have been keeping the ship in a safe harbor, but as many have said, that is not what ships are built for.  This Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, we celebrate the wonderful vision the partnership has given to us of where we can be, and how to get there.  I can’t wait to be onboard for the next leg of the voyage as we continue to celebrate this amazing natural resource in the years to come.”

• Dr. Denice Wardrop, Executive Director, Chesapeake Research Consortium

“This Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, we’re reminded that saving the Bay begins in our own backyards. The occasion kicks off with Clean the Bay Day, which for over 30 years has brought neighbors together to restore their communities and local waterways. Events throughout the week show us how, together, each one of us can play a part in creating a cleaner, healthier Bay for generations to come.”

• Hilary Harp Falk, President and CEO, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

“All water starts locally, and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, that means 150 major rivers and streams originate in our backyards. From freshwater trout streams to brackish lowland marshes, our region is full of beautiful places to explore and enjoy. In celebration of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, I encourage you to venture into your backyard and explore where your water originates. Perhaps you’ll find a new park to explore, a new beach to swim, or a new fishing hole and you’ll likely develop a deeper connection to nature in the process."

•  Kate Fritz, Chief Executive Officer, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

“The Chesapeake Bay Policy Committee brings together local governments from across the metropolitan Washington region to work collaboratively for clean water and a healthy Chesapeake Bay. During Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, we are reminded that we’re all tied to the Bay as one water system—it’s in our backyard, connected through every stream, park and community. Our committee is proud to uplift and support the efforts of local leaders and residents who are restoring and protecting these waterways every day. This week, we encourage everyone to connect with the Bay—whether by visiting a local stream, joining a cleanup or simply learning more about the waters that begin in your neighborhood. Every action, no matter how small, helps protect the Bay we all share.”

• Kenny A. Boddye, Chair, Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Occoquan District Supervisor, Prince William County, Virginia

"When looking at our local water quality monitoring data, we know that our tributaries are not as healthy as they could be or should be. However, we also know that restoration makes an impact and WE have the ability to make direct improvements to downstream water quality. So, whether you're just steps from the shoreline or miles inland—take action, get involved with your local watershed organization and remember that a healthier Bay starts in YOUR backyard!"

• Elle Bassett, South, West and Rhode Riverkeeper, Arundel Rivers Federation