The Chesapeake Bay is certainly an amazing body of water -- the largest estuary in North America. This book, the first of its kind, stimulates elementary and middle school children's interest in the Bay by exposing them to the fascinating creatures and plants found in and around the Bay's 2,500 square miles. Concepts like watershed, airshed, and food web as they relate to the Bay are explained in concise, understandable terms.This book is an effective means for children to discover the interesting traits of some of the plants, animals, birds, and fish they are likely to find in and around the Bay.

For consumers of all income levels, an extensive guide to participating in the local food movement in the Chesapeake region. There was a time when most food was local. Exotic foods like olives, spices, and chocolate shipped in from other parts of the world were considered luxuries. Now, most food that Americans eat is shipped from elsewhere, and many consider eating local to be a luxury. Renee Brooks Catacalos is here to remind us that eating local is easier?and more rewarding?than we may think. There is an abundance of food all around us, found all over the Chesapeake region. In The Chesapeake Table, Catacalos examines the powerful effect of eating local in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Hooked on the local food movement from its early days, Catacalos opens the book by revisiting a personal challenge to buy, prepare, and eat only food grown within a 150-mile radius of her home near Washington, DC. From her in-depth study of food systems in the region, Catacalos offers practical advice for adopting a locavore diet and getting involved in various entry points to food pathways, from your local farmers market to community-supported agriculture (CSA). She also includes recipes that show how to make more environmentally conscious food choices. Introducing readers to the vast edible resources of the Chesapeake region, Catacalos focuses on the challenges of environmental and economic sustainability, equity and diversity in the farming and food professions, and access and inclusion for local consumers of all income levels, ethnicities, and geographies. Touching on everything from farm-based breweries and distilleries to urban hoop house farms to grass-fed beef, The Chesapeake Table celebrates the people working hard to put great local food on our plates.

In this classic novel, James A. Michener brings his grand epic tradition to bear on the four-hundred-year saga of America’s Eastern Shore, from its Native American roots to the modern age. In the early 1600s, young Edmund Steed is desperate to escape religious persecution in England. After joining Captain John Smith on a harrowing journey across the Atlantic, Steed makes a life for himself in the New World, establishing a remarkable dynasty that parallels the emergence of America. Through the extraordinary tale of one man’s dream, Michener tells intertwining stories of family and national heritage, introducing us along the way to Quakers, pirates, planters, slaves, abolitionists, and notorious politicians, all making their way through American history in the common pursuit of freedom. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Hawaii. Praise for Chesapeake “Another of James Michener’s great mines of narrative, character and lore.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] marvelous panorama of history seen in the lives of symbolic people of the ages . . . An emotionally and intellectually appealing book.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Michener’s most ambitious work of fiction in theme and scope.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Magnificently written . . . one of those rare novels that is enthusiastically passed from friend to friend.”—Associated Press

This book has become the definitive field guide to the Chesapeake. Flora and fauna descriptions are arranged according to the bay's nine major habitats--from freshwater wetlands to saltwater marshes. The most important field marks of more than 500 species are shown in 350 superb pen-and-ink drawings, which make this benchmark work as beautiful as it is useful. The book is designed as a user-friendly introduction to the natural history of the Chesapeake Bay. Scientific jargon is kept to a minimum. Illustrations and text are paired to present an easy-to-use primer on the estuarine system. The book takes an ecological approach to life above and below the Chesapeake's surface. Wetland and aquatic communities are emphasized.

Chesapeake Bay Walk is an introduction to the interesting plants and animals young readers can find in and around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. With outstanding illustrations and concise text geared for children ages four through nine, the book beckons youngsters and their parents to learn by exploring the estuarine environment. On a stroll through its pages, they can see soft-bellied bullies, crabs older than dinosaurs, and "bald" five-year-olds. Chesapeake Bay Walk guides readers along the bay's different shoreline habitats: beach, mudflat, pier, marsh, and shallows. It features an explanation of the food chain that is easy for this age group to understand, a tour of the changing seasons, and a checklist for youngsters to use to keep track of their discoveries. Early reader-ages 5-8.

An appendix documents the many small islands that have dropped entirely from view since the seventeenth century.

As Schmidt circles the Bay counterclockwise from Jamestown, she explores Smith's encounters with Native Americans and the Bay's ecological changes over the past hundred years. On each river and creek, she quotes Smith's journals on matching wits with Powhatan, meeting Pocahontas, surviving thunderstorms, ambush, and a stingray's barb. Anchored on wild creeks, Schmidt observes swans and dragonflies, lightning and sunsets; in port she interviews colorful characters and working watermen about blue crabs and oysters.