Outreach
Marine Debris Reduction
Cleanups, derelict crab pot removal and prevention campaigns that keep plastic and gear out of the bays.
Learn
The bays make a very good classroom
Students, teachers, boaters, gardeners and curious neighbours — the more people who understand this watershed, the better it gets looked after.
Education & outreach
Programs for schools and the community
EducationCommunity Programs
Guided paddles, talks, workshops and citizen science for residents and visitors of every age.
- Education
Student Programs
Meaningful watershed educational experiences that put local students in the marsh with real equipment.
- Education
Educator Programs
Professional development, field trip support and classroom resources for teachers on the Lower Shore.
Resource library
Report cards, plans and guides
The State of the Bays assessment, annual report cards, the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and practical guides.
- Report CardPDF · 2021
2021 Maryland Coastal Bays Report Card
Ecosystem health grades for all five bays, with the indicators and thresholds behind each score.
- Water quality
- Monitoring
- All bays
- State of the BaysPDF · Latest edition
State of the Bays Report
A full synthesis of water quality, habitat, living resources and watershed pressures across the Coastal Bays.
- Science
- Habitat
- Trends
- Management PlanPDF · Current
Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan
The shared plan behind the partnership: goals, actions and responsibilities for restoring and protecting the Coastal Bays.
- Planning
- Partnership
- CCMP
- DataDataset · Ongoing
Coastal Bays Monitoring Data
Long-term water quality and seagrass monitoring records used in the report cards and management decisions.
- Water quality
- Seagrass
- Data
Species & habitat
Know what you're looking at
SpeciesAtlantic Horseshoe Crab
Limulus polyphemus
Spawns on bay beaches in late spring; its eggs feed migrating shorebirds. Counted through volunteer spawning surveys.
SpeciesNorthern Diamondback Terrapin
Malaclemys terrapin
Maryland's state reptile and the only North American turtle living exclusively in brackish water.
SpeciesCommon Tern
Sterna hirundo
A colonial waterbird nesting on low bay islands — the habitat most at risk from erosion and sea level rise.
SpeciesEastern Oyster
Crassostrea virginica
A filter feeder and reef builder; oyster gardeners raise juveniles for planting on restoration reefs.
Stories & news
From the field
Science5 min readWhat the seagrass data is telling us about Chincoteague Bay
Coverage rose steadily from 1986 to 2001, then levelled off. The recent downward trend is the number our monitoring crews are watching most closely.
Restoration4 min readWhy we took out the rip rap at Gum Point Road
A hardened shoreline protects one property and costs the bay a habitat. Here's what replaced it, and what came back.
- Wildlife3 min read
A season of horseshoe crab surveys, counted by volunteers
Late spring evenings, a measured transect and a clipboard. This is what the spawning survey looks like from the beach.
Stay informed
Field notes from all five bays, once a month
Get updates on upcoming events, program news and our monthly newsletter — monitoring results, restoration progress and ways to take part.