Chesapeake Bay Regional Web Links



n this page I have provided links to web sites that will help you learn more about the Chesapeake Bay region: what lives here, what happened here, what is going on today, and what the prospects and challenges are for this remarkable area. Rather than overload this page with too many links, I have included web sites that have extensive links pages themselves and focused on the ones that I feel are the best places to start. I think you will find that once you get into these sites, pathways for further web exploration will present themselves and you can then follow them onto new discoveries and adventures.  Since it is dreadfully easy to spend many hours surfing these web sites, I would like to suggest that for every 3 hours you spend chasing hyperlinks on these sites, that you spend a day in the field exploring. There is no substitute for getting a sensory, experiential sense of a place. No substitute for the muscle memory of the hills, valleys and ridges. No substitute for putting your nose into a sun-washed (and invasive) clump of honeysuckle. So don't settle for arm chair exploration only - get out and enjoy the treasure first hand!

The Chesapeake Bay

The EPA Chesapeake Bay Program home page at www.chesapeakebay.net is an excellent resource for data on almost all aspects of the Chesapeake Bay. The site has lots of data, maps and publications for downloading including the two documents listed below which are especially valuable teaching/learning resources:

˜Bay, Plain and Piedmont - The Chesapeake Bay Heritage Context Project, 2000 is a remarkably thorough document that provides an Eco-history of the Chesapeake Bay from earliest geologic time to the present. Not too technical, well written, and amazingly broad in its scope, it is a remarkable document that is worthy of the region it interprets.

The Chesapeake Bay: Introduction to an Ecosystem (PDF Format): A concise, well illustrated and clearly written document that will be appreciated by middle schoolers and adults alike. If you want a concise primer to the basics of the Chesapeake Bay, this is it!

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is another great resource for learning what is going on in and around the Bay and in particular what is being done and what you can do to help the Bay recover its health. There are many useful publications that can be downloaded from the site: fact sheets on the Bay and the rivers feeding the Bay; information on how to control invasive species and modify your yard to make it more Bay-friendly, and other actions that you can take that will have a positive impact on the Bay. I also recommend clicking on their Bay Journal link to read the on-line version of their excellent newspaper/magazine. Â My favorite articles are those researched and written by Kent Mountford in his Past is Prologue column which you can enter into the Search window on the ACB web site.

Chesapeake Eco-Check is an informative, fast way to get the latest hard data on how the Bay and its tributaries are fairing on a year-to-year basis. If you want to be able to have a resonably objective (but not rosy) assessment of Bay Health, this is the place to go. The site has excellent fact sheets and materials to download.

EPA Surf Your Watershed site is the place to go if you want to find out how your local stream ties you into the larger watershed in your bio-region (which in the part of the world that River Stories serves would be the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay Watershed). No matter where you live, you live in a watershed and that watershed is part of a larger one, and this web site allows you to follow the apocryphal rain drop from your roof top to the ocean.

The Friends of Chesapeake Gateways site is a wonderful resource because it collects event data from the many official Gateway organizations and puts them in one spot with recommendations and short descriptions of what is going on.  They also offer a great service by allowing you to subscribe to a free 'Weekend Planner' email that alerts you to events on a weekly basis.  Feel a bit overwhelmed by all the choices?  This is a great way to focus on what's on and select what might be fun for your family.

 

Potomac River

The Potomac Conservancy web site offers you useful facts and data on 'The Nation's River' and information on how to participate in the Conservancy's excellent programs, events, and workshops that are designed to inform, educate and motivate people to help the Potomac regain its former health and to enjoy the many recreational and aesthetic benefits the river affords over its 380 mile length from its origin as a tiny fresh water trickle at the Fairfax Stone to where it is 7.5 miles wide and salty where it meets the Bay at Point Lookout. The Conservancy runs an interpretive center at the C&O Canal's Lockhouse 8 in Cabin John, MD and uses it to host a variety of river-related programs including periodic River Stories presentations. The Links page will take you to many of the other regional organizations that are involved with connecting the public with Potomac River.

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) web site

provides a wealth of information related to the Potomac River and current efforts to clean up and restore the river to better health.

The Potomac River Guide is an amazing collection of links and information relating to the Potomac River. If you want to plan trips along the river and know what there is to see, this is a great place to start. It is an excellent adjunct to the Bay Gateways web site for sites located on or near the Potomac River. Whether you are a kayaker, biker, hiker, photographer, mill enthusiast, civil war buff, or just looking for some QT along the river, you will likely find something that is just your cup of tea listed on this web site.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation web site has many useful educational tools (both teacher and student materials) on a variety of topics that are perfect for getting students of all ages interested in the Potomac River, its history and natural history, the river's health, and the species that live in and by the river. Their Bridging The Watershed program is excellent and the materials that support it are perfect for developing interest and habitat awareness in younger students.

Regional Information Mother Lodes

The Geography of Virginia web site at George Mason University is a treasure trove of information relating to the Virginia but much of it relates to the adjacent Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. I can not recommend this site highly enough - it really is a gem. Whether is is geology, ecology, history, bio-regions, natural history, or technological history, this web site can get you deeper into what it is you are interested in. Be advised that some of the web links on the site may be outdated, but you can normally find the current one with a little guess work and perseverance.

The Chesapeake Bay Gateways web site is the first place you should go to plan a trip in the metro Washington/Bay area if you are looking for locations that provide a great mix of education, hands-on experience, good interpretation, history, nature, and recreation. The sites listed here are  all officially designated Bay Gateway sites and as such have been carefully screened to ensure that each location provides some or all of the aforementioned features and thus acts as a 'gateway' of learning about the Bay, its flora and fauna, and the history of the region and those who have lived here over the millennia. By going to this site you can get a quick overview of all sites that are available for you to visit, narrow your search to those that seem most appropriate for your immediate needs, and then determine hours of operation/visitation, driving directions, amenities available (e.g., wheelchair accessibility, rest facilities, visitor center) and the unique opportunities afforded by each site.

For information that will help you locate Civil War battlefields and historic sites and to understand their historical context, begin your search at either the Virginia State Tourism Site or the Civil War Travel web site. These sites will get you started and help you plan your trips whether day trips or extended road trips.

Regional Geology/Topography, Bioregions, and Past Climate

USGS Downloadable Maps of North America: These maps are gorgeous and can be downloaded from the web site. One is a gray scale topographical map of the contiguous 48 states that is marvelous in its detail and simplicity:Â no roads, boundaries, borders, or ground cover are shown (just the terrain in shaded relief) so that you have the rare opportunity to see in one glance the subtle changes in topography as you move from one area to the next. The second map is in vibrant color and shows the bedrock geology that underlies the topography shown in the other map. Seeing the bands of color (each representing a different type of rock of a different age and origin) come together in the Bay region as if cinched in by an invisible belt underscores the extraordinary opportunity we have in the Bay watershed to see many different types of geology without having to travel very far.

The EcoRegions Map of the US from the Nature Conservancy will give you a better appreciation for the different ecological communities that are found in the Bay Watershed and context within which to place the different plant and animal species that you will encounter in your explorations.

The Mid-Atlantic states have not always been a temperate climate nor has the Chesapeake Bay always been present along the coast. NOAA's Paleoclimatology home page affords you opportunities to see what scientists have been able to piece together about past climatic conditions in many parts of the world. Of interest in the Mid-Atlantic region are the recent Ice Ages and their effect on both sea level and on regional climate.

Regional Fossil Hunting and Identification

Few people in the Mid-Atlantic appreciate the wealth of fossils that can be found in the sedimentary rock deposits within the Bay Watershed. While you will not likely find the bones of a T rex or Brontosaurus, you have the opportunity to find a wide variety of fascinating fossils close by your home and provide the entire family with an outing that is both fun and educational.

If you are looking for a really enjoyable way to begin exploring the distant past in this area, I will suggest that you visit The Fossil Guy  This web site has lots of great information, links, and helpful hints on how and where to find fossils in the Mid-Atlantic states and conveys the enthusiasm and excitement that the site contributors feel when they come across special finds at local sites.

The Maryland Geological Society web site has great information on the geologic history behind the fossil-bearing formations in Maryland such as the Calvert Cliffs and helpful information on identifying what you find. A very helpful and interesting web site.

Maryland Geological Survey has lots of information to download and instructions on how to order other publications regarding fossils in the Calvert Cliffs. Between this site and the Geological Society web site, you will find almost all the information you need to explore and interpret the Calvert Cliffs fossil deposits.

The USGS Fossil Group web site provides you with an excellent overview of every group of fossils found in the US and data on how to identify particular species.

Getting Out and Embracing Nature

I recommend the following groups as organizations that can provide you with the highly knowledgeable guides who can open your eyes to what lies around us while leading through some of the best natural locations in the region.

The Virginia Native Plant Society and the Maryland Native Plant Society web sites provide information of native plants and places to see them, dates of guided field trips, identification and removal of invasive species, and links to organizations that can help you appreciate the floral treasures in this region. Whether you want to locate a reputable native plant nursery or find a guided hike in your neck of the woods, these web sites will provide you with needed information. When you become a member of these organizations, you receive their informative newsletters, access to members-only events, and informational emails that will deepen your appreciation and access to native plants while providing them operating funds to continue their valuable work of protecting and documenting native plant species.

As the Internet home for one of the oldest and best nature education and advocacy organizations in this area, the Audubon Naturalist Society web site is a great place to begin your search of information on regional natural history. The web site has news on local environmental issues, data on field trips, classes, nature walks and events and also provides you the opportunity to download the latest copy of the their very informative newsletter.

The Friends Wilderness Center offers a variety of very interesting, family oriented programs at their lovely location near the Shenandoah River in West Virginia.  Offering programs that offer a chance to slow down and appreciate Nature in a deeper and more meaningful way, the Friends Wilderness Center can provide you with a rare opportunity to really relax, unwind and tune in to the wonder around us.

Other Washington regional organizations who can help you get outside and enjoy the outdoors:

And here are some companies who can get you out on the water: