Chesapeake Futures outlines the likely consequences of choices we are making at the dawn of the 21st century, and their implications for the future of the nation's largest and historically most productive estuary. Depending on which choices we make, the region's landscape and the Bay itself will look very different three decades from now. A choice between continuing trends of the recent past or implementing new programs and emerging technologies will likely mean a difference of whether more than 1.5 million acres of farm and forest land will be converted to development, largely as a result of unplanned sprawl. Choices we make now will determine whether current nutrient loads to the Bay will increase, reaching levels not seen since the 1980s, or whether those loads will be cut in half by 2030.

To receive a free copy of the STAC publication, "Chesapeake Futures: Choices for the 21st Century," please submit your name and a mailing address to STAC staff by using the link below or by contacting STAC staff at (410) 798-1283. The complete report is available electronically below, as well as a short summary.

Cheasapeake Past, Chesapeake Future A documentary based on Chesapeake Futures: Choices for the 21st Century

With support from STAC, Maryland Public Television has produced a half-hour documentary entitled, Chesapeake Past, Chesapeake Future. This half-hour video captures the voices of students, teachers, planners and scientists as they consider the fate of the Chesapeake Bay and draws from work undertaken by a team of technical experts tasked with looking ahead to the year 2030. Their efforts to peer into the future take the form of three possible scenarios, depending on the choices we make now, at the dawn of the new millennium. Copies of the documentary may be ordered through the Maryland Sea Grant website.