Restoration of the Bay is easy to talk about, hard to accomplish. A major point of our trip was to talk to people working toward this goal. Their efforts range from scientific research to public education and political action. Overall, we were impressed with the effort, the level of public awareness and resources being brought to bear on the problems besetting the bay.
Understanding the complexity of biological, physical and social factors that affect the Bay is the first step to saving the bay. We spent a fascinating day at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) near Annapolis. This world-class research center hosts a wide range of studies relevant to the Bay and broader issues as well. Above left. we are looking at a long-term study of the effects of elevated CO2 levels on carbon cycling in a salt marsh environment. A SERC scientist discusses his research in marine biology with one of our students.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore hosts research, public education, and bay restoration projects. In addition to the behind the scenes tour seen on the left, we enjoyed a session on the aquarium's educational program, and an afternoon of unstructured time in the aquarium and Baltimore's inner harbor area.
Our time at the Bay culminated with a visit to the Phillip Merril Center, headquarters of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The building is the first to receive the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The Foundation hosts an impressive number of restoration efforts, including public education in its many protected areas and work with policy makers to encourage public action. It was a fitting place to end our visit to the Bay.