Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Founded in 1967, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay.

Serving as a watchdog, we fight for effective, science-based solutions to the pollution degrading the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams— including those in and around Baltimore. CBF connects residents to local waterways and the Bay through hands-on restoration, education, and advocacy. Our motto, Save the Bay—is a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s six-state, 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to nearly 20 million people and 3,600 species of plants and animals.

With offices in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, plus 15 field centers, CBF leads the way in restoring the Bay. For more than 50 years, we have created broad understanding of the Bay’s poor health, engaged public leaders in making commitments to restore the Chesapeake, and fought successfully to create a new approach to cleanup that features real accountability—the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint.

But the Bay is still a system dangerously out of balance. We continue to engage in education, advocacy, litigation, and restoration to turn the tide, benefitting both terrestrial and aquatic life. In Baltimore, through experiences, learning, recreation, and restoration at the water’s edge, our programs connect residents in an urbanized area that is not directly connected to the Bay.

Some of our most successful programs include the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership, in which 300 volunteers have grown over 2 million juvenile oysters attached to recycled oyster shells in the Inner Harbor and planted them in the Patapsco River at Fort Carroll.

In addition, more than 2,000 students, teachers, and adults have been engaged through the Baltimore Harbor Education Program, including over 1,000 students and teachers from Title I schools. CBF also worked with the Bridgeview/Greenlawn community and other partners to renovate a vacant lot that includes rain gardens and raised beds, as well as helping with storm-water flooding.

To get involved, donate at cbf.org/givebaltimore or volunteer by emailing [email protected]