Clean the Bay Day

Making a Shore Impact

Living life on a small peninsula, the waters of the Bay and Sea permeate the Shore’s heritage, daily life, and future sustainability. For decades CBES has informed our citizens about why it is critical to protect, and how they can protect, one of our most important resources.

At times that means literally rolling up our sleeves and getting it done. And that is exactly what CBES and friends do every Clean the Bay Day held on the first Saturday in June.

CBES teams up with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in support of the statewide event by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) that began in 1989. 40 or more volunteers, from children to seniors, spend 3 hours of comradery picking up trash along the shoreline of the village of Oyster. Organized by Margaret Van Clief, TNC Outreach & Education Coordinator, the impact of even this limited effort often results in ridding this precious ecosystem of 1,000+ pounds of refuse.

Combined with the statewide effort more than 82,200 pounds of debris were removed from parks, beaches, rivers, and lakes in 2024 alone, according to the CBF.

CBES encourages all of us to make it a Clean the Bay Day every day! Be mindful of keeping all harmful materials out of this vital watershed that gives the Shore our identity.