Letter from Leadership: Working together to rebuild resilience

Resilience—the ability to successfully adapt and endure against the odds—is a quality we see every year in the vast network of waters and lands that make up the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Each year, the balance between health and degradation continues to be tenuous as the interconnected parts of the ecosystem shift and change in connection with one another. Their variation shows just how dynamic and complex of a system the Bay watershed is.

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s scientific indicators, presented in our latest edition of Bay Barometer, provide a snapshot of how individual parts of this complex system respond to both ongoing challenges and our efforts to protect and repair our natural world. This consistent scientific exploration, in the face of the ever-changing natural factors, provides a basis for clear paths forward in restoration, conservation and protection. With it, Bay Program partners can better understand where and how our work supports the recovery of our lands and waters, adjusting according to need along the way.

How well the region’s landscapes and waters endure and continue to provide life-giving services to our communities is up to us. More than thirty years of Bay Program science has shown that the way we interact with our environment can significantly affect nature’s ability to adapt and recover. Where we poorly build and over-develop our towns, our local natural environments suffer; where we nurture and restore our rivers and landscapes, our communities thrive. Our actions also contribute to the impacts of climate change: rising sea levels, warming streams and more extreme weather events. Healthy waters, forests, farmlands, parks and open spaces in our communities depend on the decisions and choices we make each day.

With wisdom, caring and determination, each of us can be active participants in strengthening the resilience of our environment and continue to enjoy nature’s beauty, bounty and company.

Note: The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect U.S. EPA policy endorsement or action.