http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/

Summarizes and offers links to the seven draft reports on strengthening federal efforts to improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. The draft reports deal with water quality, targeting resources for better protection, stormwater management, climate change, conservation of and access to Bay landscapes and ecosystems, habitat and living resources, and scientific support. The draft reports were mandated by a May 2009 presidential executive order on the condition of the Chesapeake Bay. From the Environmental Protection Agency.

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD1712009/$file/RD171.pdf

The 3rd edition of the annual report of the Chesapeake Bay and Virgina Waters Clean-Up Plan. Covers status of impaired waters and their restoration in Virginia. From the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources.

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/docs/BlueCrabAdvisoryReport2009.pdf

Reports a 70% increase in the abundance of spawning age blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Also reports that the Bay wide crab harvest in 2008 was 48 million pounds, 11% higher than the record low of 2007. Also offers management advice. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Chesapeake-Bay-Protection-and-Restoration/

Creates a Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay to oversee the development and coordination of programs to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, designates the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead agency for the effort, and calls for a new approach to restore water quality, revise agricultural policies and practices, reduce water pollution from federal sources, protect the Bay from effects of climate change, and other goals. From the White House.

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/content/publications/cbp_34915.pdf

Provides the latest annual review of the progress made by the federal government and surrounding states, including Virginia, in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Reports that the overall health of the bay did not improve in 2008 and keeps the overall health score at 38% with 100% representing a fully restored bay. From the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Mid-Atlantic Office of the Environmental Protection Agency.

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/sap4-1.html

Examines the effects of sea level rise, impacts on society, and opportunities to prepare for those consequences in the eight coastal states from New York to North Carolina, including Virginia. Examines the effects of sea level rise under three different scenarios. From the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Environmental Protection Agency.

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD192009/$file/RD19.pdf

Reports on Virginia's greenhouse gas emissions and estimates emissions through 2025, evaluates expected impacts of climate change on Virginia's natural resources, the economy, and the health of its citizens, identifies what needs to be done to prepare the state for climate change, and identifies approaches being pursued by other states and the federal government. Accepts predictions of a 5 degree F. warming in average state temperatures, an 11% increase in precipitation, and a rise of 2 to 5 feet in sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay area by 2100. Offers recommendations for reducing green house gas emissions in Virginia. From the Governor's Commission on Climate Change

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD4292008/$file/RD429.pdf

Latest progress report, released for consideration of the General Assembly session of 2009. Covers wastewater, agricultural runoff, and development. Reports that 343 miles of rivers were removed from the impaired list because of cleanup efforts. From the Secretary of Natural Resources.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/jellyfish/index.jsp

Explains the basics of jellyfish biology, why they are becoming such a problem in areas like the East Coast of the U.S. and Chesapeake Bay, and what scientists have discovered about the causes and future of jellyfish blooms. From the National Science Foundation

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD3882008/$file/RD388.pdf

Latest, 2008 report, on the commitments of Virginia to reaching the goals of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement. Covers restoration of oysters and wetlands, water quality, and sound land use among other topics. From the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources.

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/docs/CBSAC2008bluecrabreport.pdf

Estimates that the number of spawning blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay decreased from 143 million in 2006-2007 to 120 million in 2007-2008, well below the target of 200 million established by Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.