Beauty of the Chesapeake

Aerial photographs reveal a breathtaking view of the Chesapeake Bay watershed -- and its fragile future.

An aerial view of the village of Ewell on Maryland's Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Farther out are Tylerton, left, and Rhodes Point.

Cameron Davidson

Poplar Island in Talbot County, Md., is being rebuilt with mud dredged from Baltimore Harbor. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

Cameron Davidson

Crisp green foliage lines the Rappahannock River.

Cameron Davidson

The North Fork of the Potomac River's South Branch flows through Pendleton, W.Va.

Cameron Davidson

A coastal marsh on Maryland's Eastern Shore near Bloodsworth Island.

Cameron Davidson

Fishermen use a pound net off Virginia's Fisherman Island near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Cameron Davidson

The North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River converge in Front Royal, Va.

Cameron Davidson

Homes on Buttonwood Beach on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Cameron Davidson

A tributary of Linville Creek, which flows into the Shenandoah River, on a farm in Broadway, Va.

Cameron Davidson

A Great Blue Heron soars near LIttle Monday Creek between Mobjack Bay and the York River.

Cameron Davidson

Early morning fog hangs over the James River in central Virginia between West View and Scottsville.

Cameron Davidson

A view of the frozen Potomac River near the meeting of the river's mouth and the Chesapeake Bay.

Cameron Davidson

The Seven Bends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah in Virginia in midwinter.

Cameron Davidson-

Marshes shimmer in this aerial image of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Cameron Davidson

Tangier Island is seen from 3,000 feet after an early winter snowfall.

Cameron Davidson

An aerial view of the frozen Chesapeake near Tangier Island, Va., with a path cut by a boat visible.

Cameron Davidson

Sparrows Point steel mill on the Patapsco River in Baltimore County's bay watershed.

Cameron Davidson

Smoke rises from the MeadWestvaco paper mill along the banks of the Jackson River in Covington, Va.

Cameron Davidson

Migratory Canadian geese fly over the Patuxent River near Croom, Md.

Cameron Davidson

A thunderstorm looms over sandbars north of Silver Beach, Va.

Cameron Davidson

An aerial view of a marsh along Fisheating Creek on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The cuts and artificial ponds were caused by DDT testing in the late 1950s to 1960s.

Cameron Davidson

Farmland on an island in the Susquehanna River near Fishers Ferry, Pa.

Cameron Davidson

Maryland's Calvert Cliffs State Park on the bay's western shore.

Cameron Davidson

A creek along a lower section of Virginia's Rappahannock River near its confluence with the bay.

Cameron Davidson

Gallery Credits:
Audio Editor Troy Witcher, Jonathan Forsythe Photo Editor, Producer Troy Witcher Text Editor, Audio Reporter Amanda McGrath

Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content.

This Story Beauty on the Brink Article \| Can we stop ourselves from destroying the Chesapeake Bay's natural wonders? Beauty of the Chesapeake Special Report: Failing the Chesapeake This Story EPA unveils massive restoration plan for Chesapeake Bay Article \| The Environmental Protection Agency established an aggressive "pollution diet" for the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday, spelling out steps that six states and the District must take by 2025 to put the troubled estuary on the path to recovery. EPA's bay blueprint EPA: More information on the Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake Bay Foundation: State of the Bay 2010 report Graphic: Two major pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay Sept. 24, 2010: EPA threatens states over Chesapeake Bay cleanup Beauty of the Chesapeake Voices of the Bay: A way of life, lost Special Report: Failing the Chesapeake Bay EPA to set pollution limits for Chesapeake Bay; D.C., Md., Va. could face penalties		Network News X Profile View More Activity TOOLBOX E-Mail This Reprints		More on washingtonpost.com • More Photo News » washingtonpost.com
» This Story:Read +\|Watch +\| Comments » This Story:Read +\|Watch +\| Comments

Beauty of the Chesapeake

Aerial photographs reveal a breathtaking view of the Chesapeake Bay watershed -- and its fragile future.

Network News