ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Mayor Gavin Buckley welcomed local and federal leaders to Annapolis to celebrate Earth Day.
Mother nature was showing off for Earth Day with a beautiful setting on the shores of the Severn River.
The Chesapeake watershed stretches from New York to Virginia and totals six different states. Congressman John Sarbanes and Senator Ben Cardin were on hand.
"The entire federal team is very supportive of our commitment to this earth," said Senator Cardin.
Anne Arundel County is one of the most navigated areas of the bay by boat, yet it has very little access to launch a boat for the public. County Executive Steuart Pittman says water access is more than just boating.
"Water access is really for fishing and swimming and kayaks in particular," said Pittman.
All the speakers mentioned the best way to protect the bay is to go out there and enjoy the bay. Fortunately for Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay is one of the prettiest areas not only in the state, but some say in the world.
"You could have paid $5,000 for some adventure cruise and be just as happy as you are right there on the Chesapeake Bay," said Anne Swanson.
Swanson is the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
"It is a magic place that’s riddled where land meets water; it’s riddled with creeks and rivers and streams. A lot of it is protected from big winds and big waves, so it’s quite an extraordinary place," said Swanson.
Spring and warm weather marks the beginning of the hiking, boating and swimming season.
"We can do this. We can restore this bay," said Joel Dunn, Chesapeake Conservancy. "We just need to think big, we need to work together, we need to shift it into high gear."
