SECNAV Hosts Chesapeake Bay Commanders Conference

From U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs

ANNAPOLIS (NNS) -- The secretary of the Navy in conjunction with the governor of Maryland hosted the Maryland Chesapeake Bay base commander's conference at the U.S. Naval Academy Aug. 25.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley were joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and commanders of military installations in the Chesapeake Bay region.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest and most biologically diverse estuary in the United States. According to the Chesapeake Bay Project website, the region is home to oysters, more than 350 fish species, hundreds of migratory bird species, approximately 418 million blue crabs and 17 million people.

As the Defense Department's (DoD) Executive Agent, the Department of the Navy is responsible for ensuring all of the 68 DoD installations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed adhere to environmental and clean water standards.

"We all recognize that what happens in the Chesapeake Bay is not just a concern for the people of the Chesapeake Bay," Mabus said during the conference. "It affects our entire country. It affects every American."

Both Mabus and O'Malley stressed partnership between state and federal governments and the military in fighting pollution in the bay area.

"I'm particularly happy that we have every service represented at this conference, because every service has a presence on the bay," said Mabus. "Every one of our armed services has a responsibility to preserve the Chesapeake for those who follow."

The Navy has already made strides toward becoming more environmentally friendly, upgrading wastewater treatment plants at various installations, implemented low-impact development practices to reduce storm water runoff, and applied building construction standards in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system.

The Navy is also buying more hybrid and electric cars, participating in shore restoration projects and partnering with local communities to reduce erosion.

"These projects both improve overall water quality and enhance and improve existing wildlife habitats," Mabus said. He also discussed the importance of the Chesapeake Bay throughout the Navy's history.

"For over two centuries we have been protected by our waters," Mabus said. "It is from this bay that countless thousands of service men and service women have shipped off to a dozen conflicts in order to preserve freedom around the world. It is on this bay, here at the Naval Academy, that we educate future leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps."

The Naval Academy has been extensively involved in efforts to study and preserve the Chesapeake Bay. In 2005, the academy established the multidisciplinary Center for Chesapeake Bay Observation and Modeling, bringing together the expertise of engineers and scientists to improve knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Since 2008, 82 midshipmen have been involved in Chesapeake Bay research, specifically oyster restoration, through class projects, capstones and independent research.

"We are charged with imbuing our midshipmen with a unique understanding of the special relationship we have with the water," Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Michael Miller said. "Our profession depends upon a healthy ecosystem, and I believe that if we continue to educate our young men and women here, that can have a profound influence."

The academy's oyster aquaculture project, funded by Naval Sea Systems Command, involves the study of water quality and oyster growth rates, and researching the use of containment structures for both oyster culture and restoration of environmental conditions in College Creek and the Severn River, tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay that border the academy grounds.