This booklet provides an overview of the current science and management issues in the Maryland Coastal Bays and their watersheds in 2016. Previous assessments include the 2004 State of the Maryland Coastal Bays and the 2009 book, Shifting Sands: Environmental and cultural change in Maryland’s Coastal Bays.
Recognizing the importance of both a bay perspective and a land perspective, this booklet provides current data and insights into a) how bay health is influenced by ocean and land and b) how watershed health influences bay health. It includes two ‘booklets’ in one publication—one intended for those interested in the bay perspective, and the other for those interested in the land perspective. The two documents culminate in a summary centerfold which focuses on both watershed and bay issues.