The Massachusetts Bays Program is a partnership of citizens, communities, and government that strives to protect and enhance the coastal health and heritage of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) was launched in 1988 to address the mounting threats to the health of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted the MBP into the National Estuary Program, which was established to identify nationally significant estuaries threatened by pollution, development, or overuse, and to promote the preparation of comprehensive management plans to ensure their health. The MBP developed a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the Bays region with the help of nearly 300 individuals representing a wide array of private, government, and community interests. This large network of partners, called the Management Conference, directs and implements the MBP. The final CCMP, published in 1996 and revised in 2003, is a blueprint for coordinated management and protection of the Bays resources. It features 17 action plans containing 87 specific actions for preventing pollution, preserving habitat, and restoring the Bays degraded resources.