Celebrate Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is an annual event that celebrates the culture, history and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary.
Join us from June 1 to 9, 2024, for Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week! Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is a time to celebrate the cultures, history and natural beauty of the nation's largest estuary. The week will include a wide variety of online and in-person events, volunteer opportunities and social media conversations so everyone can take part in celebrating the Chesapeake Bay.
History and purpose
In 2016, the Chesapeake Bay Commission worked with their legislative partners to formally designate nine days each June as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. This timing was chosen to correspond with two long-running Bay events: Clean the Bay Day in Virginia and the Patuxent River Wade-In in Maryland. Each year, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia pass official proclamations in honor of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. Several local county and city governments have followed suit. Organizations and business are also encouraged to hold events, activities and volunteer opportunities during this time.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is honored to coordinate this annual event, and will share more information about our 2024 plans as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week approaches.
Events
View allSaturday, June 1, 2024
National Trails Day
Come on out on National Trails Day and get ready to have some fun!
View event detailsWoodland Warblers
Join us for a hike through the Civilian Conservations Corps Trail.
View event detailsClean the Bay Day
This short, three-hour annual event has a massive cumulative impact. Since the event began in 1989, this Virginia tradition has engaged more than 165,500 volunteers who have removed approximately 7.18 million pounds of debris from more than 8,250 miles of shoreline.
View event detailsFamily Walk at Woodend
Join Nature Forward Master Naturalist volunteers for a Family Walk.
View event detailsSelf Guided River & Trail Cleanup - Clean the Bay Day
Celebrate Clean the Bay Day by removing trash from trails or the river bank.
View event detailsKids Fishing Tournament
Enjoy a morning of family fun, fish, learn about the Potomac River, and maybe win a trophy!
View event detailsRiver Kayak Tour
Come experience the beautiful James River on this guided kayak tour.
View event detailsSt. Martin's Garden Work Day
Come help remove ivy from trees and weed/prune rain gardens!
View event detailsWeed Warrior Workday at Stratton Local Park
Join Weed Warrior Supervisor Yvonne for a non-native, invasive plant removal workday in Stratton Local Park in Bethesda, MD.
View event detailsMysteries of the Marsh Canoe
Discover the abundant wildlife and plants at the wetlands of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary.
View event detailsJuneteenth in the Park
Join us for an exciting and inclusive bird watching program as we celebrate Black Birders Week.
View event detailsCanoe Birding Paddle to Wade Island
Enjoy a front row seat to one of nature’s greatest shows as we guide you past Wade Island, one of the largest nesting islands for wading birds in Pennsylvania.
View event detailsPark Clean-up
Join Councilmember Natali Fani-González for a park cleanup and receive SSL hours!
View event detailsWoodlawn Manor House Tour
The Woodlawn Manor House reopens to the public after a four-year closure.
View event detailsRyan Resilience Lab Grand Opening Celebration
Join the Elizabeth River Project for the Grand Opening of the new Ryan Resilience Lab and the Norfolk EcoDistrict.
View event detailsCommunity Tree Care
Join Casey Trees as we care for trees and control invasive species at the Langdon Park Forest Patch!
View event detailsThe Red Rock Fiddler
Sit back and relax under the trees as the park welcomes Jim Weiss on banjo, fiddle, and guitar.
View event detailsBusy Beavers!
Come out and show off your beaver knowledge (or educated guesses) in game show style!
View event detailsCSI: Animal Investigations
There's mischief makers around! Can you uncover which animals are causing chaos at Cherry Springs?
View event detailsSnakes of Pennsylvania
Join the park naturalist to learn about the different snakes in Pennsylvania.
View event detailsLet's Talk Elk
Join PA Game Commission Elk Biologist, Jeremy Banfield, for a presentation on elk information, research, and management.
View event detailsCampfire Tales: Tales from the Trails
Join the park naturalist around the campfire to hear some mild ghost tales of from the trails in the surrounding area.
View event detailsSpecial Dark Sky Program (Astronomy)
Learn more about the importance of dark skies while we explore our vast and endless universe with our telescopes.
View event detailsPrivate Dark Sky Telescope Tour: Gods in the Sky
Join us at Cherry Spring State Park to take in the splendor of a gold-rated International Dark Skies Park
View event detailsNight Sky Tour and Telescopes
Experience the wonder of the night sky at Cherry Springs State Park through a laser-guided tour conducted by park staff.
View event detailsCelebrate on social media
Join businesses, community organizations, local leaders and nature enthusiasts from across the watershed as we celebrate the Chesapeake Bay on social media.
This year, the theme of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week is “Unsung Heroes of the Chesapeake Bay.” We're breaking the 9 days up into two different sub themes.
June 1-5 | Habitat Heroes: Nature’s Silent Protectors
Blue crabs, oysters and rockfish are some of the Bay's most iconic species—but what about the hundreds of other plant and animal species? From June 1-5, celebrate the lesser-known wildlife of the region, from American persimmon to Chesapeake logperch.
June 6-9 | Tide Turners: Recognizing Bay Advocates
The Chesapeake Bay watershed is full of amazing people who make this a special place to live in and visit. From June 6-9, highlight all the unsung people of the region, like farmers, conservationists, business owners, seafood harvesters and other Bay advocates.
Need ideas for your social posts? We've also created a list of sub themes you can follow.
- June 1- Kicking off Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
- June 2- The science behind Chesapeake Bay restoration
- June 3- The benefits of environmental protection
- June 4- Rivers, streams and lands of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
- June 5- Wildlife and land conservation
- June 6- Wildlife and land conservation
- June 7- Forest protection and tree planting
- June 8- Indigenous communities of the Chesapeake
- June 9- Highlighting Individuals Chesapeake Bay advocates
Social media toolkit
Our social media toolkit includes sample posts, graphics and relevant content you can share throughout the nine days. Don’t forget to use #ChesapeakeBayAwarenessWeek when posting about the event!
Photos
Review our collection of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week photographs to use for social media posts, event materials, and other communications. Refer to our Terms of Use page for proper citation.
Virtual Background
Join us in celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week with a virtual background! You can use this background on all virtual meeting platforms.
