Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR)

Designated in 1991, the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR or Reserve) is one of 28 protected areas that make up the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) established to promote informed management of the Nation's estuaries and coastal habitats.  CBNERR is administered as a partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The Reserve is managed on a daily basis by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).  The Reserve's and Institute's missions are closely aligned through interdisciplinary research in coastal ocean and estuarine science, education of students and citizens, and by providing advisory service to policy makers, industry, and the public.  As the nation's largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay contains a diverse collection of habitats and salinity regimes. In order to incorporate the diversity of habitats in the southern Chesapeake Bay subregion, CBNERR established a multi-component system along the salinity gradient of the York River estuary.  Reserve components include Sweet Hall Marsh, Taskinas Creek, Catlett Islands and the Goodwin Islands.