The Chesapeake Bay

The bright blue skies illuminating along the coastline like the
brightest stars, this is nearly scratching the surface of Maryland's
great watershed, The Chesapeake Bay. The landscape surrounding the
various waterlines provide shelter and refuge for the many endangered
creatures wandering on land and through the skies, one such bird being
the great bald eagle. This bird is not only a local celebrity making
it's home among the piers and trees along the coastline, but it's also
the national symbol of The United States of America, it's picture
landing on the One dollar bill. The beauty of such a creature is it's
ability to literally block out the sun with it's wingspan as it glides
overhead while you fish or just walk along the beach. This creature
in itself is a reason for actively protecting the environment around
you to protect the beauty of nature and prevent further destruction of
the ecosystem.

The waters of the Maryland watershed offer many opportunities to
discover the hidden jewels and gems that can help liven the mood of
any visitor to our corner of the world. This can come in the form of
marine creatures, one such being the blue crab, a bottom feeder that
resembles a large spider as many visitors call it, and the juicy sweet
meat extracted from it is used to make local delicacies such as the
original jumbo lump crab cake to the Maryland red base crab soup.
Another local fish found that is known for it's tender taste is the
popular rockfish, a rather large fish that is widely used for
sandwiches and the like, whether you eat it blackened with a hot
seasoning or eat it plain, it's meat is exquisite. Although there is
many seafood dishes to be found in the nooks and crannies of the back
country of the Chesapeake Bay, there are other marine life that aren't
really edible, but offer a sense of ancient history that can't be
found anywhere else, the horse shoe crab being the dominant species to
survive the seasons. These ancient creatures underside resemble that
of a crabs legs with the armor of a sea turtle, a tail protruding from
it's backside that is the equivalent of a sting ray, and it lays it's
green eggs in the sands of the beaches throughout the Chesapeake
waterline.

The Chesapeake Bay has an extensive ecosystem, but it's local human
population gets it's income from the waters as well, from dredging to
crabbing, to the fishing that is found all over the docks and piers
throughout Maryland, an effort to supplement the food intake of the
locals on the eastern shore. There is a very delicate infrastructure
here that is not to be interrupted, any import of exotic mammals and
marine life could potentially tear the ecosystem apart, therefore
changing the status of Predator vs. Prey into Predator vs. Predator or
Prey vs. Prey. This has already happened however with the
introduction of two species, the first being the Mute swan, which in
it's handicapped nature could increase the fish in the area from its
ability to eat less marine life and graze more on land, thereby
causing other marine creatures to gain the upper hand. The other
creature, a marine aspect with the ability to walk on land as well is
the Chinese snakehead fish, an air breathing creature with tendencies
to eat both land and sea creatures, and this particular species echoes
the alarm for action to be taken to prevent a disruption in the
environment.

All in all, the Chesapeake Bay offers visitors the chance to discover life on a unprecedented scale, the opportunity to give positive charge in light of industrial proceedings. Throughout history, this small part of the world has given rise and fall of native Indians, offering the settling of disgruntled western Europeans and others alike, and giving the world the natural scenic beauty that shows everyday. If you ever get the opportunity to lie on the beach here, look into the sky and pick the cloud of your choosing, figure out it's meaning, and take in the salty air, I guarantee you will find comfort in it's natural surroundings.