Bay Journal

Terrapin park shows importance of access to the Bay

The Terrapin Nature Area in Stevensville, MD, reminds me why I’ve committed my career to conservation. This gorgeous park hides in plain sight on Kent Island, waving to everyone traveling eastward over the Bay Bridge, and offers so...

Joel Dunn
June 21, 2017
0 Comments

Immerse yourself in Dumbarton Oaks Park

The Japanese have a practice translated in English as “forest bathing,” in which people immerse themselves in a forest as a preventative health measure. Studies have shown tremendous benefits of this practice, including lower...

Joel Dunn
February 21, 2017
0 Comments

Savage River fishing trip highlights importance of headwaters

Recently my friend, John Neely, who is also a board member of the Chesapeake Conservancy, took me fly fishing on Savage River. Savage River is a headwater tributary of the Potomac River, on the western edge of the Chesapeake Bay...

Joel Dunn
September 14, 2016
Conservation + Land Use
1 Comment

At the ten-year mark, happy birthday to the Bay's beautiful and profoundly historic national trail

As the National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year, we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of a national park we have right here in our collective backyard: the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail....

Joel Dunn
August 09, 2016
Conservation + Land Use
0 Comments

John Smith Chesapeake Trail celebrates 10 years

As the National Park Service celebrates its centennial this year, we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of a national park we have right here in our collective backyard, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail....

Joel Dunn
June 26, 2016
2 Comments

Wye Island is a great place to explore by land, water

Wye Island in Queen Anne’s County, MD, is one of my favorite places in the world. In the mid-1970s, this beautiful place was nearly lost to the public. Plans to turn the island into a housing development failed to come to fruition...

Joel Dunn
May 20, 2016
1 Comment

Chart your paddle route with a virtual tour

Outside, the wind is rattling cold rain against my windows. But inside, I’m warm enough and thinking of my kayak, spring breezes, a serene stretch of river and the next section of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic...

Joel Dunn
February 02, 2016
1 Comment

Getting wilder, in a good way

When people think about nature in the Chesapeake region, I would bet that most people don’t automatically conjure up images of downtown Baltimore and city life. But nature is abundant in the Chesapeake’s cities. Leaving the...

Joel Dunn
September 10, 2015
Wildlife + Habitat, People + Society
0 Comments

Preserving Mount Vernon’s Potomac

Stand on Mount Vernon’s back porch and look out across the Potomac River. The nearly unbroken sweep of woods and farm fields is very similar to that which George and Martha Washington would have seen any spring day in the 18th...

Joel Dunn
June 15, 2015
Conservation + Land Use
1 Comment

Harriet Tubman National Park

In December, Congress enacted and the president signed a law to create the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and a sister park in New York. The parks honor Tubman, who became a...

Joel Dunn
March 02, 2015
Conservation + Land Use
1 Comment

Opinion: Conservation Matters

Conservation Matters: Archives