Every two years, the CCMP, under the umbrella of the CRC, hosts the Chesapeake Community Research Symposium. Originally started in 2006 as venue for presentations and discussions about open source environmental models, the symposium has expanded to cover environmental monitoring, research, and management. This expansion was a logical progression as monitoring, research, modeling, and management are inextricably related in the realm of environmental protection, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay region.

The CCMP Steering Committee serves as the planing committee for the symposium. Every two years a new symposium focus topic is chosen and plenary speakers are invited. A call is put out for special session proposals and once the slate of sessions is set, the research, monitoring, and management community is invited to submit presentation proposals. The symposium supported by the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and the Chesapeake Research Consortium.