Bruce Seligmann and Karen Junghans

We grew up with the Bay in our backyard, and have so many childhood and adult memories centering on its bounty and beauty. Crabbing and family crab feasts, eating all kinds of fish and shellfish, fishing, boating, swimming or enjoying the surrounding beauty of its shores have been an essential part of our lives. Karen remembers (barely!) when the ferry was the only way to cross over to the Eastern Shore, when the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened for traffic and how exciting her first ride across it was as a small child! We have canoed on the Pokomoke, Potomac, Rappahannock, Patuxent and Nanticoke Rivers and explored the Eastern Shore's beaches, inlets, tributary streams and small towns. Due to a strong connection to the land and water, its quality and the quality of life in it has been a major concern, as it impacts our quality of life. Even though we left the area some 30 years ago, we continue to return to this special, unique and spectacular environment because it calls to us for nostalgic reasons, as well as continuing to be a place where there is so much diversity to enjoy.

We became involved with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in the early 1970's and have recruited a lot of others to become involved because of its mission to clean up and care for the bay and its watershed. There have been major changes in the approach to preservation over the years, based on scientific research and empirical evidence, and the foundation has proven to be nimble and responsive to these changing situations. Also, the commitment to educating the public has been exemplary and is critically important to the efforts to preserve and protect the Bay. This continuity of effort is key to making the Bay the best it can be for us all. We want to be a part of the effort, and our legacy gift is a way to make a significant contribution without financial risk as we get older.