As inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, we here at Field Sport Concepts hold the Bay, its flora, fauna, and surrounding landscape dear in our hearts. Consequently, we had mixed emotions upon reading the Chesapeake Bay Program’s most recent press release on the status of the Bay’s health.

Using research and monitoring information from the past 25 years, it’s clear that the Bay is, in fact, improving. (Albeit slowly.) Of the three most important pollutants being tracked – nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment – all appear to be decreasing in the long term. Hooray!

But hold your seahorses, friend. There remains plenty of room for improvement. For example, the 2010 totals for all three pollutants saw an increase from 2009. Above average rainfall last year pushed 50 million more pounds of nutrients into the Bay, as well as an extra 7 million tons of sediment. Plus, while the overall trend may be slowly improving, we still have a long road ahead of us before reaching restoration level goals.

Sitting back and waiting certainly isn’t going to solve anything, though. That’s why Field Sport Concepts is committed to designing with the Bay’s best interest in mind.

Curious to know how you can help, too? Check out this link from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s website to get some suggestions.