It’s can’t-miss TV for many Chesapeake Bay enthusiasts: Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) Chesapeake Bay Week. From April 20-26, public TV station will air more than 30 documentaries focusing on “the beauty, importance and fragility” of the nation’s largest estuary, our Bay. Along with environmental themes, the films also cover the history and heritage of our region.
It’s the 21st year for MPT’s Chesapeake Bay Week, and somehow, the network is still finding new content to add to Marylanders’ past favorites. Among the more than 18 hours of content next week, there are six programs viewers will see on MPT for the first time. One of the most anticipated is the MPT production Resurrecting Poplar Island, which premieres Sunday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. It tells the success story of the island, which had slipped away to almost nothing in the 1990s, and has been slowly reconstructed with dredge spoils ever since. Together with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the half-hour film shows how this ambitious environmental engineering project has paid off.
Another new film, Chesapeake Rhythms, will air Tuesday, April 22 at 8 p.m. It looks at the migration of special Bay species like the tundra swan, shorebirds, monarch butterfly, and American eel.
On Water’s Edge, airing Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. (and again at 10:30 p..m, and 2:30 a.m. Friday!) is a look at Crisfield, Maryland’s southernmost city. The self-proclaimed Crab Capital of the World is entwined with the Chesapeake Bay in its past, present, and future. The film traces the challenges Crisfield faces from flooding and their increased emphasis on tourism to give the community a more sustainable backbone. The film, produced by The Nature Conservancy’s Maryland/DC Chapter, won top honors at the recent Ocean City Film Festival.
Other programs premiering throughout the week are Every Acre Counts: Chesapeake Farmers at the Forefront; Headwaters Down: Tidal River; and Upstream, Downriver: Uniting for Water Justice.
A video preview and more information about the 2025 lineup are available at mpt.org/bayweek. If you can’t be in front of your TV to watch it live, programs will also air MPT livestream, with additional content available to stream live and on demand using the free PBS app and MPT’s online video player.
