Washington and Lee University
IN-1: Innovation 1

In 2008, Washington and Lee University developed the Chesapeake Bay Program through funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This program is tailored to immerse students into the environmental, social, economic and cultural realities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, one of the nations’ most valuable and endangered ecosystems. Since its creation, the program has focused on place-based teaching which integrates students into local watershed issues of land use and how individuals can impact the health of the local watershed and the Bay. It engages across academic disciplines and connects the campus community with the various stakeholders including the farming community, environmentalists and governmental organizations. The program has spawned novel research efforts and positively impacted the university’s curriculum and as well as the state’s efforts to improve local water quality. The CBW program also adds a domestic component to W&L’s Environmental Studies Program's already strong international program in the Brazilian Amazon, providing students with an opportunity to engage in comparative analysis of two critically important watersheds. As with the Amazonian rainforest, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed’s ecosystem is an interconnection between plant and animal species, and people. The ecosystem's health is an indicator of society's treatment of the Bay, directly related to environmental and economic pressures as well as to recreation and natural beauty.