CHESAPEAKE BAY TRUST

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

[photo, 60 West St. entrance, Annapolis, Maryland] As a nonprofit organization, the Chesapeake Bay Trust was created by the General Assembly in 1985 (Chapter 789, Acts of 1985). Although established as an instrumentality of the State, the Trust operates with independent financial and policy-making status. It is not subject to the legislative appropriation process and receives no public tax dollars.

The Trust's mandate is to promote public awareness and participation in restoring and protecting the water quality and the aquatic and land resources of Chesapeake Bay. To accomplish its mission, the Trust seeks contributions from the business community and private citizens which it distributes to groups undertaking projects to help the Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. Grant recipients are nonprofit organizations, civic and community groups, schools, and local public agencies that have conducted stream cleanups, tree and marsh grass plantings, erosion control projects, water quality studies, and habitat restorations. The Trust also has supported enhancement of environmental education centers, and development of educational materials to inform people of all ages about the Bay.

60 West St. entrance, Annapolis, Maryland, October 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

In addition to grants from businesses and private citizens, the Trust receives the proceeds from sales of the commemorative Chesapeake Bay license plate. Voluntary donations to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund, via the tax check-off on the Maryland State income tax return (line 37), also support the Trust. Created in 1989, the tax check-off enables Marylanders to contribute for Bay cleanup and programs that aid endangered species.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is governed by a nineteen-member Board of Trustees. The Governor appoints fourteen of its members to four-year terms. Five members serve ex officio (Code Natural Resources Article, secs. 8-1901 through 8-1910).

CHESAPEAKE CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM
In July 2010, the Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program was established under the Chesapeake Bay Trust (Chapter 276, Acts of 2010). Through grants to qualified organizations and local governments, the Program mobilizes, educates, and trains young people to work with communities and schools to promote energy conservation, and conduct environmental restoration and clean-up, water quality monitoring, and reforestation (Code Natural Resources Article, secs. 8-1913 through 8-1924).

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