The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is a regional nonprofit organization

that builds and fosters partnerships to protect and to restore the Bay

and its rivers. The Alliance does not lobby or litigate. Instead, we do the

slow, hard work of bridging dialogue between groups that don't see

eye-to-eye, forming strategies for joint solutions, and building the

capacity of communities for local-level action. To this end, the

Alliance:



€ Develops methods and tools for restoration activities and

trains citizens to use them.



€ Mobilizes decision-makers, stakeholders, and other citizens to

learn about Bay issues and participate in resolving them.



€ Provides analysis, information, and evaluation of Bay policies,

proposals, and institutions.



The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay plays a unique role in the effort to

restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Founded in 1971, the

Alliance is the only organization in the region focused on improving

the Bay watershed through collaboration and consensus-building. The Alliance is

well respected as the only Chesapeake organization able to bring government,

business, academic, and non-profit players to the table, serving as a

neutral facilitator of Bay issues. Known as "The Voice of the Bay," the

Alliance is also known for being a source of accurate, unbiased

information,

which clearly distinguishes us from other organizations and agencies. We

make information on Bay science and policy accessible to the average

citizen.



The need for this work has never been greater. The population of the Bay

watershed is currently 15 million and rising rapidly -- placing

increased demands on natural resources that grow more intense each day. In

addition, the residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed have very different views bout how to use and how to protect those resources. To the Alliance,

protecting and restoring the Bay means bringing individuals and groups

together to work on common solutions. This is as true in achieving

consensus on government policy as it is in restoring native species to land or

aquatic habitats.