Volunteers are what makes the Bay great

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is a massive, 64,000-square-mile region filled with people who absolutely love their local river, park, wetland or slice of the estuary. And because of this enthusiasm, the area is filled with unique volunteer events, where year after year residents come together to make the watershed cleaner and safer for those who live, work and recreate here.. 

Take for instance, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Clean the Bay Day. During this annual summer event, thousands of volunteers gather at beaches, parks, shorelines, streams, rivers and lakes across Virginia to pick up trash. Since the event began in 1989, more than 165,500 volunteers have participated, removing approximately 7.18 million pounds of debris from more than 8,250 miles of land. In 2024, over 3,600 volunteers participated in Clean the Bay Day and removed more than 82,000 pounds of debris. 

While this event is only in Virginia, there are many more like it across the full watershed. For years, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has organized Project Clean Stream, in which volunteers can host their own stream clean up event using the organization’s resources. Similarly, the Alice Ferguson Foundation has hosted river cleanup events within the Potomac River watershed since 1989, amounting to roughly 8,000,000 pounds of trash removed! 

Another tried and true volunteer event are tree plantings. In 2022, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay decided to take a different approach by organizing an event that spans a full 24 hours. During the organization’s “Treelay”, typically held during spring planting season, volunteers come together at sites across the watershed on the same day to plant trees, in some cases working through the night and celebrating with bonfires. At the most recent Treelay in 2024, over 230 volunteers came together to plant over 4,000 trees. 

While planting trees is a great way to volunteer, even more time and attention is needed to keep them healthy. Invasive plant species are taking a toll on forests across the watershed, with vines that can strangle adult trees and aggressive growth that blocks sunlight from reaching the understory. Across the region, townships, counties, cities and local organizations set up weed warrior programs in which volunteers are trained to remove invasives in their community. In Maryland, volunteers with the Anne Arundel Weed Resistance use early spring as a time to find and remove invasives like multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, Asiatic bittersweet and wineberry. 

The Bay watershed is also ripe with community science opportunities in which volunteers help researchers monitor wildlife and vegetation. A favorite among birders is the National Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count. During just a few days in February, people from across the world come together to look for birds and note their findings, adding to a global database that informs bird conservation. On the water, you’ll also find volunteers recording dolphin sightings as part of the Chesapeake Dolphin Watch, monitoring submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) when they become a Chesapeake Bay SAV Watcher and catching troublesome invasive fish during the Great Chesapeake Invasive Fish Count. 

These are just a few of many volunteer opportunities happening across the Bay watershed. To find an event in your community, locate a Bay organization near you and see what kind of volunteer opportunities they have to offer!