Volunteer Data Powering the Bay Report Card

Volunteer Data Helps Power 2025 Chesapeake Bay Report Card

This June, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) released its 19th annual Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card, a key tool used to assess the health of the Bay and its watershed. The Chesapeake Bay scored a C (50%), and the overall Watershed Health received a C+ (57%), reflecting both challenges and long-term progress toward restoration.

Data contributed by community and volunteer monitoring groups through the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative (CMC) helped inform this regional assessment. These nontraditional data sources strengthened the understanding of local conditions and trends in areas where agency monitoring may be limited.

Dozens of CMC partners contributed data that supported the report card’s water quality and landscape indicators. These groups include local watershed associations, academic institutions, municipalities, and trained community scientists (see full list below). Their efforts highlight how local knowledge and volunteer-collected data are part of larger decision making processes in our watershed.

This report card is a critical reference for policymakers, industries, practitioners, as well as the general public. Including data from volunteer monitors adds vital detail, and reflects a collaborative approach to Chesapeake Bay monitoring.

The 2025 report card also underscores how extreme weather conditions including: drought and intense rainfall, may be influencing Bay health. Despite a drop in this year’s score, other long-term trends show improvement, particularly in dissolved oxygen, aquatic grasses, and nutrients.

Thank you to all of the CMC-affiliated organizations whose data supported this effort!