In 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the Atlantic seaboard, causing ecological damages from North Carolina to Rhode Island. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation established a Hurricane Sandy Wildlife Response Fund, which would conduct an assessment of the impacts, focusing on habitats and their wildlife. Government agencies, non-government organizations, and academic institutions collaborated to provide the report with data and information about Hurricane Sandy in relation to the Chesapeake Bay and the Delmarva Coastal Bays. The goal was to efficiently communicate the impacts of the storm to U.S. congressional leaders and the broader public, with proposals for mitigation activities to better prepare for the impacts of future storm events. Overall, the health of the Bay was relatively good during 2012 with improved phosphorus pollution levels, dissolved oxygen, resource lands, oysters, and crabs. Aquatic grasses declined due to higher water temperatures, causing eelgrass to die off in the lower Bay, and heavy rains washed sediments and pollutants into local waterways.
