 After 22 years, the Chesapeake Bay's annual report card grade has improved to a C+. According to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the bay's overall ecological health scored in the moderate range using data from 2023. That's up four points from the previous year. Now the bay's score was 55%, five points shy of the good range. And while the upper eastern shore had a downward trend, other parts of the bay did improve or held steady.