chesapeake landscapes initiative- nature conservancy

“For America’s national character—our optimism,

our dreams, our shared stories—are rooted in our

landscapes. We each have places we love. For me,

it is the San Luis Valley in Colorado. It is the lands

my family has farmed for five generations. The

waters of the San Antonio River. The snows on the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains. ”

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, March 30, 2009

Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative

“As Americans, we possess few blessings greater

than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the

breadth of our continent. Our lands have always

provided great bounty—food and shelter for the first

Americans, for settlers and pioneers; the raw

materials that grew our industry; the energy that

powers our economy. What these gifts require in

return is our wise and responsible stewardship.”

President Barack Obama, March 30, 2009

Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative

Landscapes of Ecological Value Landscapes of Cultural Value

Habitat Watershed

• Large, contiguous

areas of natural

habitat.

• Corridors with natural

land cover that link

high ranking habitats.

• Streams or rivers that

provide habitat for

native species and

maintain natural

flows.

• Coastal areas such as

tidal wetlands, dunes

and beaches.

• Terrestrial or aquatic

areas of scientific

importance.

• Forests and wetlands

near main stem rivers,

tributaries, and other

waters.

• Natural vegetated areas

within the floodplain.

• Areas in close

proximity to drinking

water sources and/or

headwater streams.

• Places associated with historically significant

events, people, and ideals.

• Archaeological sites.

• Specific sites or landscapes of unique cultural or

spiritual importance to indigenous peoples

• Places that characterize a significant way of life

in the Bay region.

• Working landscapes that reflect traditional uses

of the region’s lands and waters, producing

marketable goods and services such as forest

products, agricultural goods, and fish.

• Places and routes that allow people to experience

Chesapeake resources, stories and the broader

landscape through direct, personal interaction in

the outdoors.

Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative

Why an Initiative?

100 acres

each day

9.5 million acres

Landscapes: the Good

Nitrogen Pollution

3.3 pounds 32.9 pounds

Nitrogen Pollution

Conserve Retrofit

$5,000 to 20,000Permanently Protect an Acre

$14.8 billionRetrofitting Developed Areas

$160 million*Restoring Riparian Buffers

Treasured landscapes are special places we revere as

individuals, as communities and as a people for their

ecological, historical or recreational values – for their role in

maintaining and renewing our identity and spirit as a people.

Most of these landscapes are large; they are the settings or

surroundings in which life in the Chesapeake region plays out.

Some are protected or formally recognized as parks, wildlife

refuges, historic sites or heritage areas, but others are not;

they are sweeping segments of the countryside – forests,

farming communities, and natural areas (many linked to the

water) – that we recognize as creating the sense of place that

is the Chesapeake region.

Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative

Definition