The Bay Beautiful

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The Chesapeake Bay was formed during the Ice Age from melting glaciers. It's an estuary, a unique place where salt water and fresh water mix. Some of the bay's water is from the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the water comes from what is called the watershed, a six state area with over 150 major rivers and streams.

More than 3600 species of plants, fish and animals call the bay home. And every single one of those creatures, from the trees to the grasses to the fish to the birds and even the tiny microscopic animals play an important role in the bay’s health.

The Chesapeake Bay is very shallow. On average, it's only about 21 feet deep. If you have a friend who's 6-feet tall, that person could wade through 700,000 acres of the bay without even getting their hair wet.

The Chesapeake Bay is a beautiful national treasure, but it has changed. The waters are no longer the main supplier of seafood for the Eastern seaboard. But many people are working hard to restore the bay and make it as clean and healthy as can be. The future of the Chesapeake Bay and all its tributaries in the 64,000 square miles of watershed will soon rest in the hands of its youngest citizens...you.