Why Maryland’s Coastal Bays Are Worth Billions — And Worth Protecting

CALIFORNIA, Md. — We often take for granted what something is worth. We can look at five bucks and know what that means, and we can look at mortgage rates and know what that means, too. As the Maryland Coastal Bays Program marks 30 years of conservation work, a closer look reveals just how much these waters are worth — environmentally, economically and to the communities that depend on them.

Math makes these things tangible, easier to grasp.

But what about the intangibles? The things that aren’t so easily quantifiable. The warm hug of a loved one, a smile from a stranger, or maybe the value of our coastal bays? Can we put a price on a sunset? Or what about a weekend on the beach with our family?

What is that worth?

Well, according to the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP), it’s worth quite a lot.

Acting as custodians over our natural coastal bays for more than a quarter-century, MCBP is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. In honor of that milestone, The BayNet reached out to interview MCBP and share its story.

Later, in August 1996, 140 people gathered in a small hotel conference room to discuss the problems. According to MCBP, about two-thirds were government officials, and the rest were concerned citizens. Together, they talked about the degradation of the bay and the quickly disappearing fish and shellfish. They raised concerns about the future and questioned whether the bays would be around for their children to enjoy.

In a special moment, local government and citizens came together and formed an organization not only for the betterment of the environment but for the community itself. Out of concern for the future, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program was born.

“There wasn’t much known about the bays back then,” said Steven Taylor, the program’s first director. He, along with a few others, spearheaded the movement to better understand the bays and study what was happening. They ultimately developed a plan to assess conditions by expanding environmental monitoring efforts to provide the scientific information necessary to receive funding through the EPA’s National Estuary Program.

A fear started to brew.

Farmers, golfers, boaters, fishermen and land developers all disliked the idea. They feared MCBP would become a watchdog group.

MCBP was well aware of this. After all, it was not a government entity. It was made up of concerned citizens who loved the bay and also enjoyed fishing, crabbing and other recreational activities.

They simply wanted to protect it.

To gain public trust, the program adopted an open-arms approach. Along with stakeholders, they invited everyone in the local community to meetings, shared information and resources, and provided education to the public. All of it was in service of improving the bay. Soon, the program became citizen-driven rather than a closed system of bureaucracy.

Its mission to improve water quality and habitats in the bays has remained firm over the past 30 years and has produced tangible results that can be seen in its annual report card.

The report card grades the overall health of the coastal bays using scientific data, assessing factors such as water quality, habitat conditions and the health of aquatic organisms. Because perfection may be impossible for such a dynamic system, program officials say the goal is to consistently maintain strong A and B grades — a challenge made more difficult by development, runoff and the region’s seasonal tourism surge.

“Worcester County is home to about 50,000 year-round residents,” Taylor said. “In the summer, that number swells to nearly 400,000. If you don’t believe me, just head down to Ocean City during the Fourth of July.”

The value of the coastal bays is not just philosophical. A comprehensive study prepared for MCBP found that the coastal bays watershed generates between $1 billion and $3 billion in economic value each year, supporting tens of thousands of jobs across Maryland and neighboring states. That figure includes tourism, recreation, fishing and other industries that rely on clean water, as well as natural services provided by the bays, from filtering pollutants to protecting shorelines.

In other words, the bays are not only places of beauty and recreation, but a critical economic engine. When water quality suffers, so do local businesses, livelihoods and communities that depend on it.

After nearly 30 years, MCBP has learned that protecting the bays is not about choosing between the environment and the economy. It is about understanding how deeply the two are connected.

The value of the bays can be measured in dollars and data points, report cards and economic studies. But it is also measured in quieter ways — in sunrises over calm water, blue crabs pulled from the bay, and family weekends spent on the shore.

The worth of our bays, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. And thanks to decades of community-driven conservation, Maryland’s coastal bays remain something worth beholding — and protecting — for generations to come.

---