From the Chesapeake Bay Program

The Chesapeake Bay is our country’s largest and most productive estuary. It is nearly 200 miles long, fed by 48 major rivers, 100 smaller rivers, and thousands of tiny streams and creeks in its 64,000 square mile watershed. This watershed covers all or parts of six states—Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and West Virginia—and the District of Columbia. It is home to 2,700 species of plants and animals, ranging from the lowly benthic worms living in the mud, to the majestic bald eagle. It is also home to 15 million people, with another 2.8 million expected by the year 2020. We have come to understand that people are the major cause of the Bay’s problems, and that the challenges facing the Chesapeake Bay begin at home—in our own backyards—as well as in farm fields, cities and suburbs, and on our highways. Why? Because the Bay is part of a vast interconnected ecosystem. Everything we do on land—where we live, how far and how often we drive our cars, and the consumer choices we make—affect the Bay and the plants and animals that live there.

Special landscapes are disappearing from the Chesapeake Bay watershed and loss of habitat is the main cause for loss of wildlife. Between 1982 and 1989, watershed wetland losses averaged about 3,000 acres a year. Despite regulatory protection, these losses and degradation continue as development pressure increases. Approximately one-third of historical forest coverage has been lost. Between 1985 and 1995 Bay watershed forests were cleared at a rate of over 100 acres every day. The health of many streams is declining, their waters transporting large quantities of sediment and pollution downstream and, eventually, into Chesapeake Bay.

Thirteen species of underwater Bay grasses once covered up to 600,000 acres of the Bay. The existing 69,000 acres fall far short of historical levels. Eastern oysters once lived on underwater shell reefs that rose to near the surface from the bottom of the Bay. Millions of oysters filtered plankton from the water, completely siphoning the Bay in under a week during summer. The human taste for tender oysters has significantly contributed to declining populations. Today, the Bay’s oyster population has been reduced to a small percentage of historic levels and it takes them one year instead of one week to filter the Bay. Destruction of aquatic reefs from centuries of dredging and tonging has greatly reduced suitable habitat for oysters and the other creatures that live on and around their reefs. In addition to harvest pressure and disease, reef acreage has been lost to the sediments and pollution that run off the land.

With so many people living in the Bay watershed, nonpoint source pollution has become a problem for living resources in the Bay ecosystem. Nonpoint source pollution includes things like runoff from streets, farms and construction sites, and our own yards. Contaminants from every community—sediments, sewage, manure, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and motor oil—can be carried into the Bay from local streams and waterways.

But there is good news. Reducing chemical use in the home landscape reduces toxins and nutrients reaching local creeks and, ultimately, the Bay. Managing erosion in your yard will help cut down on the amount of pollutants reaching nearby waterways. Special features can be used to divert water away from your house, eliminating homeowner problems like flooding and wet basements. Creating rain gardens, raised beds, and permeable walkways are just some of the ways you can protect the Bay while protecting your property.

Wetlands and streamside forested buffers can also reduce runoff while adding diversity and beauty to your landscape. Trees act as natural air filters by trapping particulates and smog-related chemicals, removing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They can even help lower the costs of heating and cooling your home, when planted strategically around your yard. Degraded streams can be restored to provide an aesthetic focal point for your property while serving important habitat functions for fish, birds, and other animals. Natural areas like these can provide havens for local wildlife and solve problems of concern to property owners, like streambank and shoreline erosion.

What you do with your property can make a big difference for Chesapeake Bay, but it doesn’t end there. Get involved and spread the word! Many organizations need volunteers for monitoring and restoration activities. The more people know about the Chesapeake Bay and what they can do to help, the better. There is strength in numbers.

Because our actions are so closely linked to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, stewardship of the land and water by ordinary citizens is our most effective tool for the Bay’s restoration. There is much that we can do to help the Bay regain its historical elegance. What better place to begin than your own backyard?

This link take you the the full text of Better Backyard: A Citizen's Resource Guide to Beneficial Landscaping and Habitat Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed at the web site of the Chesapeake Bay Program.