In 1988, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to protect the water quality of the Bay and its tributaries. In order to accomplish this immense task, counties, cities, and towns in Tidewater, Virginia have been given the task of establishing regulations outlined by state guidelines. In many instances, rural localities do not have the financial and technical resources available to implement these state guidelines. To fill these voids, nongovernmental organizations can provide the expertise needed to meet these demands; however, there has been relatively little documentation of the direct affects NGOs have had upon local jurisdictions in implementing guidelines, specifically Resource Management Areas as established by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board. The Friends of the Piankatank, the Peninsula Coalition for Environmental and Economic Stability, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation comprise a few of the many NGOs that personify the need for active involvement in the Commonwealth's pledge to cure the Bay. How these organizations play a significant role in the delineation of Management Areas in rural localities is pertinent to the success of the program.

To explore the role that NGOs played in rural localities, two case studies were analyzed: (1) Richmond County: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation Connection, and, (2) Mathews County: Regulations on the Horizon. These two counties were chosen because of the different approach each has taken to implement state regulations in their community. A section on the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and the dynamics of nongovernmental organizations precede the case studies.