: this program was made possible in part by the mpt new initiative fund founded by irene and edward h. kaplan.

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