Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (ACB) is a regional nonprofit organization that builds and fosters partnerships and consensus to protect and to restore the Chesapeake Bay. ACB, rather than focusing on lobbying or litigation, works by creating dialogue between groups that don't necessarily see eye to eye in order to create joint solutions for the betterment of the Bay and its watershed. ACB also supports and maintains citizen volunteer activities at the local level, encouraging regional "citizen scientists" to monitor bodies of water in their area that flow into the Bay.

Founded in 1971 and with offices in Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, ACB bases its activities around four main areas:

-Watershed Promotion and Partnerships - Programs which teach sustainable ways to live in the watershed area

-Restoration and Monitoring - Programs which promote on-the-ground restoration and maintenance of the watershed, usually involving citizen participation

-Communication and Information - Providing objective, in-depth information on issues that are important to restoring the Bay

- Public Policy - Projects that facilitate the balanced analysis of Chesapeake Bay policy issues, fosters citizen participation in the establishment of sound policy, and builds consensus where constructive dialogue is lacking

ACB funds RiverTrends, a citizen water monitoring program in which volunteers from throughout the watershed area take and analyze samples of their local tributaries and report their findings to the ACB. This program ensures that the tens of thousands of stream miles in the watershed area can be adequately accounted for.

ACB also sponsors three annual River Sojourns. These are educational and awareness-raising events in which an average of 60 people take a five-day camping and paddling trip down different rivers in the Bay's watershed. The trips build an ethic of environmental stewardship via on-river and camping activities focusing on historical, ecological, and cultural topics. The River Sojourns take place on the James, Patuxent, and Susquehanna Rivers; the next Sojourn (on the James) is scheduled for June 25-28, 2008.

External links

* [http://www.acb-online.org/ Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay's official website]
* [http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/dominion-foundation-provides-140000-grant-to-alliance-for-the-chesapeake,280610.shtml Earth Times article detailing grant to ACB from Dominion Power]