Leaders from the Chesapeake Bay Commission visited Penn State's University Park campus Sept. 4-5 to experience the impactful work being done at Penn State to help better the Chesapeake Bay watershed, while also engaging in discussion and exploring solutions that address water quality, agricultural vitality, and community impact across the region.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state legislative body with representation from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia that plays a leading role in supporting policies to restore and protect the bay. According to the commission, Pennsylvania is the largest landholder in the watershed, comprising 35% of the total Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, making Penn State research, Penn State Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences vital partners in helping to achieve the region's environmental and economic goals.
Through a series of site visits, commission members were able to experience how local efforts in Centre County are helping to preserve the health of the overall Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Included in their visits was a stop at Evergreen Farms, where members of the commission learned how the dairy farm uses innovative management practices to improve soil and water conservation. The combination of these tactics benefits both the farm and Spruce Creek, a nearby world-class trout stream that runs through the farm.
They also saw efforts to address drainage from abandoned coal mines, one of the most pressing challenges for the region's approximately 2,000 miles of streams. The drainage produces acidic water that contains high levels of metals that impact the chemical and physical environment of the streams and, ultimately, the bay.
With the collaboration of several local partners, including Penn State, treatment systems are being installed to restore water quality while also tackling challenges to facilitate successful wide-scale adoption so that the benefits of these systems can be fully realized.
