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The Chesapeake Bay is an important US coastal natural resource beset in the last seven decades with the simultaneous challenges of population increase, land-use modification, excessive nutrient enrichment, and climate change. Recent modest improvements in the environmental health of the Bay are encouraging. A resurgence of submersed (alternatively, "submerged") aquatic vegetation (SAV) that many scientists consider to be “sentinel species,” is now a bellwether of improving water quality. This tangible improvement in the Bay’s environmental health can ultimately be attributed to a long history of science-based policy decision-making and management with roots at the local level. Ongoing and regular communication among scientists, managers, policy makers, and the public has been an important key to success. The uneasy, but nonetheless close relationship of individuals with different yet complementary societal roles has been a hallmark of what is widely regarded as a model for US national policy for interjurisdictional estuarine management, the scientifically based “US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program.” This chapter highlights a few of the individuals, their roles and the events that influenced the early development of that program. This case study illustrates how local environmental challenges can rise to a level that influences positively national policy, legislation, and management. The success of the Chesapeake Bay Program notwithstanding, the environmental future of the Chesapeake remains uncertain because of the continuing press of population growth and land-use change, with the likely complication on the horizon of accelerating sea-level rise due to climate change. |
