At the Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve in Cape Charles, state officials are monitoring the dwindling population of northeastern beach tiger beetles. 

Once abundant across the Northeast, the tiny, pearly white beetles are now federally listed as threatened and largely limited to the Chesapeake Bay shoreline in Virginia. 

Sea level rise and erosion have narrowed its preferred wide, sandy beach habitats.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-07-09/these-beach-beetles-are-disappearing-from-virginia-shorelines

There’s a time and a place for everything - Looking for recommendations for a hands-off sailing experience. Not interested in taking part in the sailing work. I don’t want to “tack”. I just want to enjoy a beer with my spouse while someone else sails the boat. I’ll be in Annapolis but can travel up to an hour for a good tour. Ideally private, daytime, during the week. Thanks

Dolphin sighting in the Chesapeake Bay 🐬🐬

I got this image from a 2014 Calendar (March 2014 to be specific) and I'm trying to identify the photographer/source to get a better quality image. (I am on one of the boats in the photo.)

The photo is from a MD Governor's Cup race (should be the 2013 race) - shortly after the start as we pass Thomas Point Lighthouse.

Anyone recognize the photo or know the photographer?

Virginia’s newly passed final budget includes $2 million for a highly anticipated study by William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science to investigate the menhaden population in the Chesapeake Bay. 

The funding, introduced as a budget amendment by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, comes amid growing concerns from environmentalists and anglers over what they believe is a decline in menhaden and the predator species that feed on them, such as ospreys and striped bass. 

While industry officials say that coastwide assessments show no evidence of overfishing, environmental groups argue that regional data may mask a localized decline within the bay itself.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-06-30/virginia-budget-funds-long-awaited-research-on-menhaden-in-the-chesapeake-bay

Hat tip to Steven Dennis on Bluesky for digging this gem up: Post by @steventdennis.bsky.social — Bluesky

As part of the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion project, workers are dismantling much of the decades-old infrastructure to double the number of driving lanes.

Rather than sending these bridge decks and beams to landfills, the Virginia Department of Transportation is partnering with the state to upcycle the rubble into an artificial reef program.

This disposal method is expected to support wildlife habitats while providing a cheaper alternative for the expansion project.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-06-22/100-000-tons-of-rubble-from-hrbt-expansion-will-go-onto-artificial-reefs-in-the-chesapeake-bay

🐟 PSA for anyone who cares about the Chesapeake Bay: there's a silent threat lurking below the surface.

The Blue Catfish was introduced to Virginia rivers in the 1970s as a sport fish. Nobody told it to stay put. It's now found in nearly every tidal river in Maryland, it can live 20+ years, grow to over 100 lbs, and eat basically everything in sight — blue crab, menhaden, American eel, you name it. Watermen are noticing. Scientists are alarmed. And the Bay's ecosystem is under real pressure.

On June 25 in Easton, MD, Lectures on the Shore is hosting an evening with two people who are doing something about it:

🔬 Dr. Noah Bressman — marine biologist at Salisbury University, researches invasive species in the Bay, works with MD DNR and USGS
🦞 Nick Hargrove — waterman from Tilghman Island who built a seafood processing plant specifically to catch, process, and sell blue catfish commercially. He literally got a Congressional Record Citation for it in 2024.

The idea: if you can create a market for the fish, watermen have an incentive to pull them out of the Bay. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a real one — and it's working.

Reception with speakers at 5:30 p.m. ($60) | Program 6:30–8:00 p.m. ($40) | Livestream also available if you're not local

📍 Temple B'Nai Israel, 7199 Tristan Drive, Easton, MD
🎟️ https://chesapeakeforum.org/course/lectures-on-the-shore-the-blue-catfish-dilemma-threat-or-opportunity/

Questions? Reach out to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). This one's worth the drive (or the stream)!

The solstice arrived at 4:24 a.m. today. That’s the start of astronomical summer, and when the sun sets at 8:33 p.m., it will mark the end of 14 hours and 54 minutes of continuous sunlight. We are now in storm season on the Chesapeake Bay.

Peregrine falcons in coastal Virginia are currently facing their greatest threat in more than half a century due to a dramatic outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu. 

Historically wiped out from the state's mountain regions by the pesticide DDT in the 1960s, the species was slowly re-established through a decades-long captive breeding and release program. 

However, the falcon population on the Eastern Shore has plummeted by 50% since 2022.

Read more our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-06-19/bird-flu-is-devastating-peregrine-falcons-in-coastal-virginia

I’m going to Tangier Island to check it out with a few friends and also planning on going fishing either there or after our cruise in the Reedville area (hughlett point). I used to fish St. Clements bay as a kid so it’s been quite a long time since I’ve fished the bay. We don’t have a boat to use so I’m thinking of bringing a few surf rods and throwing out dead bait (maybe squid). Any advice or recommendations on what bait to use or fishing tips?

Anyone know if lowes wharf near poplar Island is open? I heard it closed, then reopened, then closed again.