ON THE WAY TO THE BAY: Cheer Up The Watershed

With an expanse of 64000 square miles, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed supports the largest estuary in the continental United States. Therefore, when we joyfully exclaim, “we are on our way to the bay”, we could be approaching it from any area within the six states that comprise the supporting landmass surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. You can live in lower New York state or deep in Virginia’s Blue Ridge area along the James River and be on your way to the bay. You could also be fertilizing your farm fields or washing your car and be part of an ongoing, good and bad runoff into your immediate watershed which in turn feeds or stifles the bay.

It’s All About…. There are a great many factors that contribute to the health and life of the bay, but the most important are people. Yep, you and I, we now exert the greatest impact on Sweet Chessie and her future. Actually, people have always had an impact on Chessie’s life. Way before Captain John Smith began his explorations and settlement in the bay area, Chessie was host to and nurtured by Native American tribes all of whom maintained a caring co-existence with the bay and its inhabitants.  Today there are millions, upon millions of us interacting in various ways with Sweet Chessie. It is the various ways that have affected the health and well-being of the bay and the many life-forms that comprise and sustain her existence.

It is a relationship. Even if we live way distant from the bay, but are still within the watershed, we are directly linked to the bay’s health. Like in most relationships, it is the little, caring acts we do that strengthen and sustain a relationship and that certainly applies in the case of Sweet Chessie. Yes, some of us become pro-active and fervent environmentalists and that is very helpful, but all of us can be helpful by just being mindful of how we treat our environment. Disposal is the key. How we handle garbage, waste-water, exhausts from both home and vehicle are under our control. What we do right in our own home area directly helps to protect and preserve the bay (see Suggested Reading below for ideas).

Yes, for many being labeled an environmentalist is unwanted; even frightening. This is because of the misconceptions about caring for where we live: our sweet planet Earth. Bowing to those who would profitably mess up our front yard, so-to-speak is subject to both praise and severe criticism. Well, step back a pace and begin just by taking care of your own front yard. No front yard? Just an apartment dweller? You still control what you throw away and where you throw it. You still control what you pour down your drain or flush away, and you still have a chance to control whether you drink clean water and breathe clean air. It is all very personal and there is where it should begin. Be selfish, take care of yourself, your family and your neighborhood and you then begin taking the first steps toward protecting and preserving Sweet Chessie. Most importantly, as you protect and preserve the bay in this way, you enrich your own life as well. It is truly and win, win involvement.

The Next Step is almost automatic. As you and your family and/or your neighbors get directly involved in protecting and preserving your own territories, you become alert to those who seek to harm what you protect. Well, none of you will stand for it and so you step forward to prevent damage to what you treasure. Does it follow then, that this involvement will lead you to step up to protect the Chesapeake Bay? The answer is yes, if you have come to realize that your personal efforts at home are supportive of the bay. What this means is that Sweet Chessie becomes part of your family. It is all still personal, and it provides you with a broader, more caring viewpoint about your immediate environment and how it relates to the overall Chesapeake Bay watershed and Sweet Chessie.  See, you are already involved, but now you know it and feel it, and best of all, love it. Bottom line, it is all about family and family more than ever really matters.

Well here is a view of your lovely family member. Enjoy it and treasure it, but also remember that for it to remain as you see it here, you must protect it as we have recommended above and in the reading list below. Now you know you love Sweet Chessie, so keep her close to you heart; always, and she will never, ever leave you. In these fickle-values times, that is a priceless treasure.

IMAGE CREDIT:

The image (map) of the Chesapeake Watershed is from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It was colorized to highlight the extent and expanse of the bay and its supporting watershed rivers,

SUGGESTED READING:

What is a Watershed?  (Video)

Stormwater Purification: Raingarden Treatments  Blog article from My Chessie Affair

In Your Backyards – Lawns   Chesapeake Bay Foundation

In Your Backyards – Resources  Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Need a little extra motivation? Enter HERE.