For centuries, people have settled throughout the Bay's watershed and harvested its bounty. The Bay and its rivers provide drinking water for millions, pathways for commerce, robust fish and shellfish industries, and recreation. As people have taken advantage of these resources, they have forever changed the Bay. Today, the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed are in danger. Although it has provided for us for hundreds of years, the Bay now needs help from every citizen in the watershed. Each small part of the Bay region is interconnected. Streams flowing through the Chesapeake's headwaters are linked to the blue crab hiding among underwater grasses in its shallows. Natural corridors throughout the watershed connecting wetlands, forests and streams provide important habitat. These forests and wetlands hold nutrients and sediment in place and reduce the amount of runoff flowing into small creeks and streams. As they are destroyed to make room for roads and buildings, their ability to hold back pollutants and the important habitat they offer are lost as well. A complex network of rivers and streams, beginning at the Chesapeake's headwaters hundreds of miles away, carries fresh water into the Bay. These waterways also carry pollution, and by the time they reach the Chesapeake, the accumulated pollution load can be enormous.

Cover title. "December 2004." Shipping list no.: 2005-0092-P. "EPA 903-R-04-009."