The Chesapeake Bay Foundation was founded in 1967 by a group of businessmen from Baltimore who were concerned about problems facing the Chesapeake Bay such as increased development, boats, and poor sewage treatment. They wanted a private organization to represent the interests of the Bay and encourage government and citizens to work together on solutions. The Foundation's mission is to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and its watershed. It works on environmental education, advocacy, and land conservation to pursue its goal of clean water and a healthy Bay. The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint sets pollution limits and requires states to meet incremental reduction goals to improve water quality as mandated by the Clean Water Act.

1. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation:
General Information
By Katherine Thomas

2. Founders
Arthur Sherwood
Early in 1970, with membership at 2,000 and a
staff of three, Arthur Sherwood took over as
Executive Director and settled on two
programs, Environmental Education and
Resource Protection, with land conservation
an integral part of the protection effort.
Sherwood's lifelong friend C. Trowbridge
Strong took his place as Chairman of the
Board.

3. When It Was
Founded
It all started in 1964 with a group of Baltimore
businessmen/sailors/waterfowl hunters and fishermen. All of them met
with Rogers C.B Morton, a Congressman from Maryland’s Eastern Shore,
and spoke over lunch about their concerns. They wanted his help with
problems they saw looming over the Chesapeake Bay: more boats, people,
houses, and poor sewage treatment. Rogers C.B Morton responded,
“There is a great need for a private-sector organization that can represent
the best interests of the Chesapeake Bay. It should build public concern,
then encourage government and private citizens to deal with these
problems together.” The words struck home. By 1967, Arthur Sherwood
formed a group and chartered the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He wanted
the foundation to be the ‘private sector’ voice that private sector voice
working on behalf of the Bay. They recruited a Board of Trustees that
represented interests from throughout the Chesapeake Bay area. The
beginning of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation was modest. In 1970, the
foundation wasn’t huge however it was still effective.

4. The Mission
Their Mission is to Save the Bay™, and
keep it saved.
The Chesapeake Bay and its tributary
rivers, broadly recognized as a national
treasure, will be highly productive and in
good health as measured by established
water quality standards. The result will be
clear water, free of impacts from toxic
contaminants, and with healthy oxygen
levels. Natural filters on both the land and
in the water will provide resilience to the
entire Chesapeake Bay system and serve
as valuable habitat for both terrestrial and
aquatic life.

5. Facts and Figures
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's management practices ensure
that operating funds raised in the current year, as well as capital
campaign funds pledged in previous years, are effectively put to
use to support programs to save the Bay. CBF publishes detailed
financial information in the form of its annual reports, audited
financial statements, and IRS 990 tax returns. Click
http://www.cbf.org/about-cbf/financials-accountability to find
0ut more!

6. BIG News: The Chesapeake
Clean Water Blueprint
• What is the Blueprint?
• A Clean Water Act provision known legally as a Total Maximum Daily Load or
TMDL is a scientific estimate of the maximum amount of pollution a body of
water listed officially as "impaired" can accommodate and still meet water
quality standards.
• In December 2010—after years of missed deadlines for restoration and no
consequences—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exercised its
Clean Water Act authorities by releasing enforceable pollution limits for
nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
Subsequently the six Bay states and the District of Columbia released their
plans to meet those limits by 2025. Together the pollution targets and the
states' plans comprise a Clean Water Blueprint for the Chesapeake and its
rivers and streams.
• What Will it Do?
• If fully implemented, the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint will ensure
pollution reduction and result in the "fishable, swimmable" waters promised
by the Clean Water Act of 1972. The Blueprint does three things:
• ensures everyone shares in the responsibility for cleaning up our waterways;
• sets two-year, incremental pollution-reduction goals—known as milestones—
to keep progress on track; and imposes consequences for failure, ensuring
states and localities will meet their responsibilities.