Maryland Public Television Broadcast : April 20, 2026
Through the lens of three watermen and one waterwoman, Saving Chesapeake Bay examines the 40 years of efforts to revitalize the Bay, highlighting the ways persistent pollution in the Bay impacts the livelihoods of those who work on it and spotlighting the ongoing efforts to improve the health of the watershed.
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Saving Chesapeake Bay: A Cleaner Future examines the more than 40 years of efforts to revitalize the Chesapeake Bay after decades of pollution, intensive agriculture, overfishing, and uncontrolled urban development devastated its waters. Through the perspectives of three watermen (Robert Brown, Luke McFadden, and Jake Schuman) and one waterwoman (Crystal Jordan), the film highlights how both pollution and efforts to revitalize the Bay impact their livelihoods.
Since the 1980s, Chesapeake Bay watershed states and the federal government have spent billions of dollars on some of the most ambitious restoration projects in the nation’s history. Yet today, progress in the Bay remains slow and pollution—particularly runoff from agricultural and urban areas—continues to pose a prominent challenge. By blending archival imagery with expert interviews, this film lays out the history of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreements—a series of landmark agreements in which the Bay states pledged to work together to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Through the lens of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Agreement, the film explains where states fell short and saw success in reaching their clean-up goals, while also acknowledging unforeseen threats, such as the rise of invasive species, that have caused further challenges in sustaining a healthy Bay.
Saving Chesapeake Bay immerses viewers into the day-to-day work of watermen Brown, McFadden, Schuman, and waterwoman Jordan in different areas of the Chesapeake Bay. Through interwoven interviews, our watermen and waterwoman discuss their generational ties to the Bay and speak candidly about the ways in which the health of the Bay and goals set in the Chesapeake Bay Agreements impacts their ability to make a living.
While revitalization of the Bay remains a work in progress, the film highlights measures taken by farmers to slow the flow of agricultural runoff, efforts by local restaurants to fight invasive species, and the ways organizations around the Bay are getting involved in restoration efforts. Amidst ongoing challenges in the Bay, the film showcases the resiliency of watermen and waterwomen who are adapting their techniques to keep their businesses afloat, as well as the sustained optimism of organizations working to improve the health of the Chesapeake through oyster planting and education programming for school-age children.