Audio: Concurrent Sessions 1: THE WATER: Can This Bay Be Saved?

Here's the audio file (MP3/16.6MB/1:12:46) for this Friday, October 17, 2008, session: Download C1_water

“Can the Bay be Saved?”

By Sarah Lichtman

Panelists Bill Street, Ann Swanson, Richard Batiuk, and moderator Tim Wheeler discussed the fate of the Chesapeake Bay. And in answer to the session’s ominous question, “can the bay be saved?” the panelists agreed on a conditional “yes.” The condition being, of course, a lot of attention and effort.

The technology and science that goes into the monitoring of the Chesapeake Bay is some of the world’s finest, yet the bay’s water quality has not improved significantly in 25 years.  In this session, experts discussed what still needs to be done to get the Chesapeake back to good health.

“We’ve seen success when we’ve taken strong action,” said Bill Street, executive director of the James River Association.  For example, when there was a big push to save rockfish, they rebounded with astounding numbers.

Panelists in this session stressed the need for federal pressure to reduce non-point source pollution.  They also expressed worry over a generation of children that are now being raised without any connection to nature.  The hope, said Street, lies in a new movement towards “green” practices.