Red Rose IWLA Lancaster PA

Conserving The Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Fun fact: The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the world!

The Issue:

The major contributors to the poor ecological health of the bay - and the local streams and rivers that feed it - are nitrogen and phosphorus. Local actions to support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's efforts to save the bay are directly supported by the Izaak Walton Clean water initiative; monitoring the health of the local headwaters and feeder streams that flow into the bay directly support our community science initiative.

Why it's important:

High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus drive high levels of algae; when the algae die they decompose - and the bacteria that perform that role consume large amounts of the oxygen present in the water. The watershed is often incapable of naturally filtering these excess nutrients before they enter our feeder streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay itself.

The environmental impact:

Dead zones - areas of the estuary that have little to no oxygen - cause aquatic life to suffocate and die in these zones. As urbanization replaces farmlands, sewage treatment plants, animal feed lots and runoff pollution account for the majority of these pollutants; and air pollution from automobile exhaust and power plants account for up to one third of the nitrogen pollution.

Remedies:

While agriculture remains a significant source of excess nitrogen and phosphorus, Best Management Practices (BMPs) can reduce the amount of nitrogen flowing into the bay by up to sixty percent.

Given the pressures modern farmers face to utilize their lands and maintain their livelihood, regenerative agriculture becomes more vital each year - not only to act as natural filtration for the watershed, but also to prevent soil erosion and provide wildlife habitat.

How we contribute:

Actions speak louder than words. Our Chapter occupies land in the headwaters of Hammer Creek, which is part of the Susquehanna River watershed that feeds the Chesapeake Bay. We act as a riparian buffer, with woodlands along the watercourses that shade and protect the streams on our property. And our Chapter has all our open fields currently enrolled in the CREP program, which filters ground water and increases carbon sequestration. See the sub pages for additional information on the ecological benefit of our CREP grasslands, and the complimentary effort of conservation landscaping on our pollinator fields.