The agreement’s goals include oyster and mussel restoration, wetlands protection, land conservation, waterbird protection, and expansion of public access to nature.

It's not a big improvement but every little step counts. The Chesapeake Bay Program announced Monday that 29.8 percent of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries met water quality standards for the 2020-2022 assessment period. That is a small improvement over the 28.1 percent recorded during 2019-2021.

The program says the agricultural sector accounted for 43% of the nitrogen reductions and 26% of phosphorus reductions between 2022 and 2023.