Connecting Conservation Practices to Local Stream Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Impact of Current and Historic Land Use on Stream Incision in Maryland Piedmont Headwaters
New Insights for Reducing Nutrient and Sediment Loads
In Agricultural Watersheds Prioritized for Management Activities
In Agricultural Watersheds Prioritized for Management Activities
Wastewater reuse may be detrimental to smallmouth bass abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed
Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award for Outstanding Technology Paper
Newsletter: October 2023-March 2024
Publications
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Chesapeake Bay Activities
The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation’s largest estuary and provides over $100 billion in annual economic value. The USGS works with Federal, State, local, and academic partners to provide research and monitoring and to communicate results to inform management for the Chesapeake and other important landscapes across the Nation.
Connecting Conservation Practices to Local Stream Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Connecting Conservation Practices to Local Stream Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts.
Agricultural and Urban Management Practices have Hidden Costs and Benefits to Stream Health
Agricultural and Urban Management Practices have Hidden Costs and Benefits to Stream Health
The findings of the study highlight that management practices can have both hidden costs and benefits to fish and macroinvertebrates depending on regional and local factors like how many and what type of management practices are implemented.
Quick Links
Quick Links
Learn more about USGS science activities in the Bay from our Science Strategy. Additional summaries of the USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities are available in the science topics section.
News
Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food
Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food
USGS Researchers Invite Community Members to Help Kick Off a New Study of Local Streams and Conservation Practices in the Shenandoah Valley
USGS Researchers Invite Community Members to Help Kick Off a New Study of Local Streams and Conservation Practices in the Shenandoah Valley
Why reducing farm pollution in the Chesapeake Bay region is a complex problem
Why reducing farm pollution in the Chesapeake Bay region is a complex problem
Publications
Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA
Monitoring wild fish health and exposure effects in impacted rivers and streams with differing land use has become a valuable research tool. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are a sensitive, indicator species that exhibit signs of immunosuppression and endocrine disruption in response to water quality changes and contaminant exposure. To determine the impact of agriculture and development on
Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments
Introduction The partners of the Chesapeake Bay are investing billions of dollars in the restoration of critical habitats to improve conditions for people and living resources throughout the Bay and its watershed. However, the recent proliferation of invasive Ictalurus furcatus (blue catfish) in the Chesapeake Bay’s major rivers has the potential to disrupt these restoration efforts and limit the
Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts.Key issue: To what extent do CPs positively affect the health of local streams in the nontida
Science
New study highlights linkages among land use, water chemistry, and the health of Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River watershed
Contaminants associated with agricultural and developed land uses may negatively affect SMB health and disease resistance in the Susquehanna River watershed.
Using Multiple Indicators to Assess Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay
USGS is working with federal, state and local partners to develop multiple assessments of stream and river conditions in non-tidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These assessments will help managers preserve stream health and improve biological conditions in impaired streams as the human population and climate continue to change in this region.
Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay
USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus ) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.