Celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
This annual event celebrates the cultures, history and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary.
Join us from June 7 to 15, 2025, 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. The week will include a wide variety of online and in-person events, volunteer opportunities and social media conversations so everyone can take part in celebrating 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, and the Chesapeake Bay Program has developed a proclamation template for local governments to use. Organizations and businesses are also encouraged to hold events, activities and volunteer opportunities during this time.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is honored to coordinate this annual event, and will share more information about our 2025 plans as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week approaches.
Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week 2025
If you would like to participate in the planning of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week in 2025, please email bmartinezpenn@chesapeakebay.net
Events
View allFriday, June 6, 2025
Kayak Cleanup
Join Public Works staff and Greenbelt Park Rangers to remove litter from the lake by kayak.
View event detailsCelebrate on social media
Join businesses, community organizations, local leaders and nature enthusiasts from across the watershed as we celebrate the Chesapeake Bay on social media.
This year, the theme of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is “The Bay in your Backyard.” We're breaking the 9 days up into two different sub themes.
June 7-11 | Wonders of the Bay
Celebrate and highlight the many natural resources and inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay. Flora and fauna abound in the Bay watershed with many species providing ecosystem services right in our own communities.
June 12-15 | Protectors of the Bay
Celebrate and highlight the cultural, historical and recreational aspects of the Chesapeake Bay and how you play a part in its restoration.
Need ideas for your social posts? We've also created a list of sub themes you can follow.
- June 7- Kicking off Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
- June 8- Habitats and Ecosystems of the Bay
- June 9- Native Animals
- June 10- Native Plants
- June 11- Invasive Species
- June 12- Fun on the Bay (Water-Based Activities)
- June 13- Fun on the Bay (Land-Based Activities)
- June 14- Historical Figures & Indigenous Perspectives
- June 15- Stewardship and Looking to the Future
Social media toolkit
Our social media toolkit includes sample posts, graphics and relevant content you can share throughout the nine days. Don’t forget to use #BayAwarenessWeek when posting about the event!
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.
Virtual Background
Join us in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week with a virtual background! You can use this background on all virtual meeting platforms.
