10THINGS
to
KnowAbout the
ChesapeakeBay
1
]
Chesepiooc
is anAlgonquian (Native
American)word referring to a village
“at abig river.”Theword’s actualmeaning
is unclear, though oneguess is that it
translates as “greatwater”
2
]
Thebay is an estuary (abody of
waterwhere freshand saltwater
mix) surroundedby the states ofMaryland
andVirginia; it is the largest ofmore than
100estuaries in thenation
3
]
More than 150 rivers, creeks
and streams flow into thebay’s
64,299-square-miledrainagebasin,which
includes parts of six states
4
]
Thebay is approximately200miles
long from itsnorthernheadwaters in
the SusquehannaRiver to its outlet in the
AtlanticOcean
5
]
Total shoreline, including tributaries,
is 11,684miles (more than theentire
U.S.West Coast), representinga surface
area of approximately4,480 squaremiles
6
]
Thebayholdsmore than 18 trillion
gallons ofwater
7
]
More than 2,700 species of plants
and animals are supportedby the
bay, including348 species of finfish
8
]
More than 17.5millionpeople live in
theChesapeakeBaywatershedarea
9
]
Thebay forms a link in the
IntracoastalWaterway, connecting
theChesapeakeandDelawareCanalwith
theAlbemarleandChesapeakeCanal
10
]
Abusy shipping channel runs
the length of thebay, serving
as an important transit route for vessels
accessing thePort of Baltimore
ona restored site ownedby the
MarylandPortAdministration
(MPA). Thenature area offers
opportunitieswithin the city
limits for fishing, birdwatching
andother recreationactivities.
Also, anenergy-efficient, “green”
environmental education center
opened atMasonvilleCove in 2009.
TheU.S. Fish andWildlife Service,
National Fish andWildlife
FoundationandChesapeake
BayTrust havededicateda total
of $55,000 in support of the
MasonvilleCovepartnership.
MarylandTransportationSecretary
JamesT. Smith, Jr.,who spoke
at theUrbanWildlifeRefuge
Partnershipdedication in late
September 2013, said that
theMasonvilleCoveproject
“represents thebest ofwhat
canhappenwhenprivate
industry, government, non-
profit organizations and local
communitieswork together for a
commongoal.”
U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes added that
itsdesignationas thenation’s first
UrbanWildlifeRefugePartnership
has transformedMasonvilleCove
from“oneof Baltimore’sgreat
success stories” into “anAmerican
success story.”
■
ThePortenvironment
hasbenefitted from
pollution-reductionpractices
that incorporatecleaningand
surveyingefforts.
BILLMCALLEN
