Does the Chesapeake Bay watershed look different now than it did when the colonies were founded?
Before Europeans arrived to this part of the world, the Chesapeake Bay didn’t look much different than it had for hundreds of years. But as more and more people began coming to this area, the landscape changed rapidly. • In order to build houses, farms, towns, and cities, much of the original forest land was cut down. By 1900, only 30% of the original woods remained. • Some towns that used to be on the water are now inland, because they were silted in from all the sediment that was getting in the water. • A lot of coastal marsh land has been destroyed by development. • Many of the streams and creeks have been paved over or have dried out due to erosion. • The Bay waters are cloudier. The water used to be so clear that people could see things that were 2 meters below the surface. Now in some places it’s not even possible to see things 5 inches below the surface. • Much of the Bay grasses have died. Despite all of these changes, there are many people trying to help protect the Bay. Many
