>> announcer: the following program is made possible in part by the mpt new initiative fund founded by irene and edward h. kaplan.

>> narrator: scallops of sand, endless meanders of marsh and tidal creek. if the shoreline of the chesapeake bay could be unraveled it would stretch from the easto west coast and back. the chesapeake is the country's largest estuary, where saltwater mixes with fresh. 200 miles long, three miles across at its narrowest, nearly 30 at its widest. yet for hundreds of square miles it is knee-deep.

romance clings to the private coves, the watery sunsets, the smell in the breeze. there is, perhaps, a tendency to long for what has been lost of its heritage. but soaring above, we see how much of it remains, and the incredible beauty held in its embrace. anyone who has ever hauled a catch from its depths, loafed the small towns that ring it, beheld the marshes blazing in the sun, or skimmed the surface, knows it's more than just a place on the map. experience the treasured chesapeake, her famous landmarks, natural wonders, cities, towns, and preserves that still look as glorious

and untouched as th did a thousand years ago, all from an exhilarating vantage point. [captioned by maryland public television] dawn over the susquehanna river, headwaters of the chesapeake bay. the chesapeake is the drowned valley of the susquehanna, engorged by the melting waters of glaciers ten thousand years

ago at the end of the last ice age. named for the native susquehannocks who lived along the riverbanks, its headwaters begin far to the north, flowing down through pennsylvania and new york state, into the chesapeake bay and out to sea. conowingo is native susquehannock for "at the rapids." here, at those rapids, a hydroelectric plant harnesses the surging momentum of the river. the rocky bottom

and canyon-like walls of the river little resemble the wide, pan-flat mud-bottomed bay broadening on the horizon. just beyond the town of havre de grace, "harbor of grace," where highway and railroad span the widening river, the chesapeake bay is born.

a new day brings a flurry of activity and the inevitable feeling of possibilities up and down the bay. standing majestic in morning light, calvert cliffs dominate the southern maryland shoreline for 30 miles. formed over 15 million years ago, when southern maryland was awash in a shallow sea, these cliffs teem with fossils.

south of the cliffs, homes with water's view bask in the sun. we are drawn to places like solomons island, where land meets the great estry.

the calvert marine museum, home of the drum point lighthouse, symbolizes a once-booming fishing village, with fleets of schooners & sloops centered 'round the hauling and shucking of oyster, that has become a popular point of departure for those in search of adventure and favorable winds.

tranquility seems to define life on the bay but appearances deceive. every day, nature's rhythms and human rituals play out. smith island is located 12 miles out in the bay. her quintessential fishing villages cling to the few patches of ground above sea level.

come sunrise on any given morning, the towns of tylerton, ewell, and rhodes point are deserted. everyone is out crabbing.

smith island fishermen, a fiercely independent breed, heed the call of the water and chart the very same courses of their forbearers, doing what 13 generations before have done since the first settlement at jamestown in 1607. for hard-working watermen the bay has always held the promise of plentiful rewards. pound nets jut from the shore like arrows pointing towards a bountiful catch.

watermen can still earn a living by fishing, crabbing, and oystering... but it is becoming increasingly challenging. dredgers, pound netters, purse netters, hand tongers, crabbers...fishermen of all kinds casting their fortunes in chesapeake waters.

holds heavy with the harvest; rockfish, bluefish, crabs, oysters, whatever the day's catch, return home... ...to towns like crisfield rock hall, chestertown solomons, tilghman, and scores of others.

there are reasons why these places were settled long ago. proximity to the bay meant, of course, pleasant living. but also fruitful labor, and sustenance. deep and safe harbor.

upriver, and protected yet connected by navigable waterways, enabling vital trade. on the banks of the chester river, chestertown was a thriving port of entry for early maryland settlers and boom town of colonial commerce. george washington gave chestertown his stamp of approval with the founding of washington college in 1782.

first college established in the new nation. locals who live by the waters side can hardly conceive of any other place to be.

>> hello, i'm rhea feikin and i'm here with donald thoms. please stay tuned for more of chesapeake bay by air. oh what an absolutely gorgeous program.

this special was compiled from hours of footage, and a lot of it was shot from 2,000 feet above the chesapeake bay, and we used state of the art, high-definition cameras to bring you this epic portrait that features some of the most stunning and dramatic hd images ever captured of the chesapeake bay. we're getting to experience famous landmarks and natural wonders from a vantage point that we've never seen before. shows like this are made possible because of the generosity of people just like you, our viewers. and now we're coming to you tonight to ask for your financial support so that we can continue to broadcast and to produce shows and specials just like this one. please call us now at the number on your screen and when you contribute at certain membership levels we have some very exciting ways of saying thank you. here's more about them. >> announcer: soaring

over the watery coves, gliding through the past and seeing one of america's natural wonders from a spectacular vantage point. call in to support chesapeake bay by air and we'll say thank you with some great gifts. for a pledge of $60, you can revisit all the splendor of this treasure again and again with the chesapeake bay by air dvd. with a pledge of $75 experience this aerial tour in stunning high definition with chesapeake bay by air on blu-ray. both discs include the bonus feature the skipjacks, a look back at life on the water aboard an oystering boat with its legendary crews. please call now and help keep journeys over america like chesapeake bay by air and more fantastic programs on public television. >> donald: i'm absolutely mesmerized by this program. you know, sometimes we're so used to everything just being fast cut, and the music

is loud, and these great special effects, it's great just to take a program and slow it down and to be calmed by its beauty, and this is exactly what this program will do for us. please, call us right now and talk to one of our great volunteers. they can't wait to take your call and your pledge right now. did you know that if the shoreline of the chesapeake bay could be unraveled it would stretch from the east coast to the west coast, and back again! it would take ages to explore. but now, with chesapeake bay by air, we're getting a bird's eye view of the bay and everything it has to offer, and it's only taking us a quick 90 minutes. that's what the programs on public television do for us. they help us not only to explore our own region and its communities, but different countries and cultures all over the world. and you know what? it does this commercial free, 365 days a year. please do your part right now to help us bring you more wonderful programs such as chesapeake bay by air. and if you contribute at certain levels we have some

great thank you gifts. if you contribute $60, we will say thank you with the chesapeake bay by air dvd. this is the program you're watching right now. and it contains a bonus documentary called the skipjacks, which looks at an iconic fishing vessel. i'm sure you will find it fascinating. if you pledge $75, we will say thank you with the chesapeake bay by air on blu-ray. it's high definition. it's extraordinary. this also includes the skipjacks documentary. and please remember that these levels are just suggestions. any financial contribution is greatly appreciated. please ask about this station's basic membership level when you call the number on your screen. rhea. >> rhea: if this kind of television is important to you, please call in now and support this station with a generous contribution of financial support. i don't have to tell you, i think you already know that public television truly cannot exist without your help. so please call the number on your screen right now and support smart, useful tv

that really does make the world a better place. i think this show is absolutely gorgeous, and i hope you agree with me. if you have ever seen any part of the chesapeake bay, you know how glorious it is but to see by air is really remarkable. if you make a pledge of $60 we're going to be able to say thank you with chesapeake bay by air dvd, which has a bonus documentary called the skipjacks, which is also really, really interesting. then if you want to see it in truly beautiful colors think about the $75 level where you'll get chesapeake by air on blu-ray. and this of course also includes the skipjacks bonus documentary. please call us now at the number on your screen and ask the operator about putting your contribution on a charge card, because that helps you, it helps us, it makes it all very, very easy. when you call in and make a pledge you are helping support the informative

and entertaining programs that we bring to you and your family, and your community, throughout the year. if you've already pledged then we want to thank you for that. if you have never pledged before, this is a great time to do it. at any rate, when you join the public television family it's going to make you feel good because you know you are one of the people that brings programming like this to everybody in your community. donald. >> donald: thanks, rhea. you know, i'm so excited about the number of our volunteers who are on the phone. that says something really special, the fact that you rely do like this program, and that you want to make sure the programs like this continue on public television. we already know that when you watch public television you know what you're going to get. you know you're going to get programs that are thoughtful. you know you're going to get programs that are extremely well produced. and you also know that when you watch our channels that our children watch, that it's a great safe haven for your child. so please, continue supporting public television, and this public television station. the number is at the bottom of the screen.

the volunteers are here to take your phone calls and they will make it quick simple and easy. it should take about two minutes. if you pledge at the $60 level, we will say thank you with the chesapeake bay by air dvd. it contains a great bonus documentary. and if you pledge $75, and if you want things that are crisp and pure and pristine, you can get the $75 level chesapeake bay by air on blu-ray. again, a very, very special program with a great documentary as a special bonus. rhea. >> rhea: thank you very much, donald. i hope you are enjoying the program. i hope you're enjoying it enough not to just say to your neighbor or your friends, "gee, that was a wonderful program," but enjoying it enough to go to the phone and make a pledge. the number is on your screen. and when you do that, it's going to make you feel good. and it makes you feel good because you know you're one of the people that makes a program like this possible. and programs like this are produced just because people like you have called in during other pledge drives and made financial contributions to this station.

so we hope that you're going to do the same thing right now. again, let us remind you that we have some great gifts for you. this is a beautiful program. you can keep it for yourself or it would make a splendid gift for somebody else. maybe you would make that pledge of $60 and get yourself a copy of chesapeake bay by air, the dvd of the program that we're watching right now. or, if you prefer, you can pledge $75 and then you can get chesapeake by air on blu-ray. either way you'll have a way of experiencing the chesapeake bay time and time again. it's good if you've never been to the chesapeake bay area to be able to see it. or if you have visited the chesapeake bay area, to relive your visit. it's a beautiful part of our country, and this is a beautiful program i think. very restful, very interesting, and very beautifully produced. i think this is a program that anybody would be proud to have. don't forget that this is

your public television station, and when you call in and make pledges during a program like this, you're indicating that this is the kind of program that you want to watch throughout the year. don't forget that the blu-ray and also the dvd, have a bonus in it, and that's the skipjacks bonus documentary that i think you're going to enjoy just as well. the number is on your screen. the only thing you have to do now is get up and go the phone and make a pledge. it's really easy to do. and after you've done it, sit back and enjoy the rest of chesapeake bay by air. >> narrator: baltimore...city on the bay, broad shouldered, blue collar, offbeat idiosyncratic, port of entry,

cultural center. home of the star spangled banner. locust point, the first port of baltimore; tobacco shipping out, sugar from the caribbean shipping in. city of neighborhoods: fells

point, federal hill bolton hill, cherry hill, canton.

outside baltimore, where the patapsco river meets the bay, sparrows point. a once-sprawling complex of steelmaking and shipbuilding. in the mid-1950s, the largest steel mill in the world.