Chesapeake Bay Recognized as a Hope Spot for Nature, History, and Community

The Transquaking River feeds into Fishing Bay near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, MD. Photo courtesy of Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program (2018).
[CHESAPEAKE BAY, USA] – The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States and the third largest in the world, has been officially designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot. Hope Spots are areas recognized for their exceptional ecological, cultural, and historical value, and this new designation celebrates the Chesapeake Bay’s biodiversity, deep Indigenous heritage, and the broad coalition of community efforts driving its ongoing restoration.
Home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, the Chesapeake Bay is vital to life along the Atlantic Flyway. Its diverse habitats—from oyster reefs and tidal wetlands to underwater grass beds—shelter iconic species such as the endangered Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) and sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii, Caretta caretta), and provide vital spawning and nursery grounds for ecologically and economically important fish like striped bass (Morone saxatilis), river herring (Alosa spp), and menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus).…
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