Part of the National Estuary Program, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is a partnership among the towns of Ocean City and Berlin, National Park Service, Worcester County, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Environment, and Planning, which have come together to produce the first ever management plan for the coastal bays.

Established in 1987 under the Clean Water Act, the National Estuary Program was developed to protect economically and environmentally sensitive estuaries across the United States by engaging all user groups.

The Maryland Coastal Bays Program is one of only 28 such programs nationwide and protects the land and waters of Assawoman, Isle of Wight, Sinepuxent, Newport, and Chincoteague bays.

To learn more about the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, please visit www.mdcoastalbays.org.