Interconnected Ecological Values of the Chesapeake.

This presentation addresses the ecological values that underpin large landscape conservation in the Chesapeake. The complexity of ecological systems in a watershed of 180,000 miles of rivers and streams is high. Multiple ecological factors--fish habitat and migration routes, avian migratory pathways, wildlife habitat, climate change and water quality--are a focus of Chesapeake conservation. Each of these provides a means for engaging grass-roots protection efforts that varies by geography. Partners are developing new strategic means for prioritizing conservation areas.