The Half-Earth Project® presented the second in a new discussion series, “Places and Voices of America the Beautiful: Chesapeake Bay.” The online discussions are focused on areas of great biodiversity in the United States and the pathways and people essential to protecting them. The discussions are free and open to the public with registration. The Chesapeake Bay was held on February 28th, at 12 pm on Zoom and live-streamed from the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation on Facebook.
Water, forests, natural species and people are woven together in an intricate system, rising out of the Appalachians of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and flowing east and south to the largest estuary in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay bounded by the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and New Jersey. This is a place of transitions: freshwater meets saltwater, wilderness meets rural farmland meets urban communities. These transitions also are rich in human connections, implications and issues, including thousands of years of Indigenous history and byways that formed the escape routes of the Underground Railroad. This made for fertile ground and water for the this installment in the Places and Voices discussion series.
Against the backdrop of the current push for 30×30, in a conversation moderated by Joel R. Johnson, the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation convened ambassadors of the natural and cultural beauty of the region for a conversation on opportunities and challenges as we seek to preserve the Chesapeake.
