A New Face of The Alliance: Implementation

Lina Goetz ·
7 April 2025
   4 comments

For 50 years, The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has brought together communities, companies, and conservationists to restore the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Through concentrating on project completion rather than only advocating for change, they’re able to work with a variety of stakeholder groups including individuals, businesses, farmers, and local governments to implement solutions that lead to a cleaner and healthier Chesapeake Bay.1

The Focus:

Agriculture- Industrial farming has been a large contributor to toxic run-off and pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.2 The Alliance collaborates with farmers to create resources that keep their farms running while protecting the local waterways. Environmental sustainability is represented differently by all of the stakeholders in the watershed, which makes creating solutions challenging.1

“Crops and Irrigation Circles” by Jane Hawkey is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Forests- Healthy forests contribute to carbon sequestration that supports our changing climate.4 The Alliance has numerous partnerships with organizations to plant trees and increase forest cover throughout the watershed.1

Green Infrastructure- Increased development throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed led to a high concentration of impervious surfaces that contributes to poor water quality (Figure 2).3 The implementation of green infrastructure such as rain gardens, native plant gardens, rain barrels, and permeable surfaces by The Alliance protects people and wildlife throughout the watershed.1

High development in Baltimore, MD. "City of Baltimore" by Jane Thomas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Stewardship & Engagement- Inclusion of a diverse group of stakeholders is important for creating solutions and forming new ideas to protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The Alliance offers a variety of events and volunteer opportunities to involve the community in finding solutions for the future.1

For the Future:

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay emphasizes implementation as a core strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. They focus on practical, on-the-ground solutions in addition to advocacy and policy work. By focusing on long-term and sustainable efforts, we can work together to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed for future generations.1

References

  1. Alliance for The Chesapeake Bay. (2025). Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay | For our forests. For our streams. For our future. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. https://www.allianceforthebay.org/
  2. UMCES. (2020). Rapid expansion of industrial farming in U.S. contributes to increased pollution, harmful algal blooms. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. https://www.umces.edu/news/rapid-expansion-of-industrial-farming-in-us-contributes-to-increased-pollution-harmful-algal
  3. US EPA. (2022). Water Infrastructure. Www.epa.gov. https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure
  4. USDA Forest Service. (2016). Carbon Sequestration. Www.fs.usda.gov. https://www.fs.usda.gov/ecosystemservices/carbon.shtml

About the author

Lina Goetz

Lina is a senior at Frostburg State University studying Interpretive Biology and Natural History with concentrations in geography, climate science, and sustainability studies. She is also duel enrolled in the Masters in Environmental Management and Sustainability program through Frostburg State.



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Comments

  • Sabine Malik 2 weeks ago

    This is a great summary of all that the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay does! It is so important to have groups focused on making implementation of solutions financially and practically feasible, as it seems they are doing.

  • Vanessa Mukendi 2 weeks ago

    Lina, good job on this blog post. Your use of pictures for the focus on agriculture and green infrastructure helped visualize some of these key challenges the alliance is working on. Your introduction part and for the future section helps outlines some history and where they are going for the future which was helpful.

  • George Anim Addo 2 weeks ago

    This is a well-written and informative piece that effectively communicates The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay's core strategy of implementation. It clearly outlines their focus areas and highlights their collaborative approach. The article successfully conveys their commitment to practical, on-the-ground solutions for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

  • Zhongshi He 1 week ago

    I really like how you described implementation as a "new face" of the Alliance. It's so true! It shows the shift a lot of environmental organizations are going through, which is really exciting. They're putting boots on the ground while still keeping up their policy presence. I'm really impressed by your focus on inclusive engagement and stewardship. It's so important to have communities involved for long-term watershed health.

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