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Captain John Smith Trail Legislation
On December 19, 2006, President George W. Bush signed legislation establishing the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail - the first national water trail in the United States. The trail will commemorate the exploratory voyages of Captain Smith on the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries in 1607-1609.
Administered by the National Park Service, the trail will provide significant opportunities for education, recreation and heritage tourism in the Bay region. The National Park Service will administer the trail in coordination with the existing Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network adn the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program that is leading efforts to restore the estuary.
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Management Plan
With extensive public input, the National Park Service will develop a comprehensive management plan for the new trail beginning in 2007. Working with a broad partnership, including the Conservation Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and many others throughout the region, the National Park Service will develop and manage the first national water trail under the auspices of the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Comprehensive Management Plan
The National Park Service (NPS) prepares a variety of planning and environmental documents to help guide it in managing park resources. These documents can range from site-specific impact analyses on facility locations to broader park-wide plans for future use and management of a park. The NPS places a high value on public participation and strives to encourage participation in all aspects of environmental decision-making.
The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail is beginning the two-year process of developing a Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). The purpose of the CMP is to establish the administrative objectives, policies, processes, and managment actions needed to fulfill the preservation and public use goals of the CAJO under the authorities of the National Trails System Act, as amended (16 USC 1241-1251). A CMP for a national historic trail provides a framework for a wide range of partnership activities that are possible and desirable to provide for public use and understanding of trail history and for appreciation of trail resources. The primary source of information throughout the planning process will be the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) site. This site provides access to current plans, environmental impact analyses, and related documents. Users of the site can submit comments for documents available for public review.
Visit this site.
Your Trail, Your Voice
Public Invited to Share Ideas, Suggestions on the Future of John Smith Chesapeake Trail
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a series of open houses to receive public input and comments on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. These events, held throughout the Chesapeake Bay region in late September and early October, will provide background on the trail, explain the suggested interpretive themes, and share issues and questions NPS seeks to answer as it develops the trail’s comprehensive management plan and environmental assessment (CMP/EA).
“Public involvement is key to a successful future of the trail,” said John Maounis, the trail’s superintendent. “Based on what we hear at these workshops, we can develop meaningful programs and concepts that will relate to everyone who visit this unique and significant resource.”
The national historic trail, established in 2006, retraces the 1607-1609 voyages of John Smith in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Touching upon Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and in the District of Columbia, the trail’s purpose is three-fold: commemorate Smith’s voyages, share knowledge about the Chesapeake Indian societies and cultures, and interpret the natural history of the Bay.
Extensive public involvement (as well as consultation with state agencies) is sought to help guide the NPS as it works to understand the best methods to manage, interpret, and access the trail. The workshops, held in an “open house” format with NPS staff on hand to respond to questions, are scheduled for three consecutive weeks beginning on September 23 at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center in Jamestown, Virginia. Other Virginia workshops will be held in Cape Charles, Deltaville, and Alexandria. Venues in Baltimore, Havre de Grace, and St. Michaels have been selected for Maryland’s workshops. An additional workshop will be held in Seaford, Delaware.
Public input from the open houses will help shape a set of management alternatives, which will also be brought before the public in spring 2009. NPS plans to distribute a draft CMP/EA in fall of 2009 (also open to public comment). A final plan, which will include responses to the public comments, is expected in early 2010.
The public is invited to share their thoughts at the open houses and online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cajo.
Read our Newsletter.
Schedule of Public Open Houses on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail
September 23, 2008
Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center
1368 Colonial Parkway
Jamestown, VA 23081
6 – 8 pm
September 24, 2008
Deltaville Community Center
17147 General Puller Highway
Deltaville, VA 23043
6 – 8 pm
September 25, 2008
Indigo Landing Restaurant
1 Marina Drive
Alexandria, VA 22314
6:30 – 8:30 pm
September 30, 2008
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Visitor Center
2400 East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21230
6 – 8 pm
October 1, 2008
Seaford City Hall
414 High Street
Seaford, DE 19973
6 – 8 pm
October 2, 2008
Havre de Grace Maritime Museum
100 Lafayette Street
Havre De Grace, MD 21078
6 – 8 pm
October 7, 2008
Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center
(University of Virginia)
6364 Cliff Road (off Crumb Hill Road)
Cape Charles, VA 23310
6 – 8 pm
October 8, 2008
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Interpretive Planning
Through a collaborative process involving trail partners, agencies, Gateways, tribes, community organizations, and others, the National Park Service is developing the Interpretive Plan for the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. The Interpretive Plan will provide a vision for the future of interpretation and education for the trail and define long-term goals for meaningful connections between visitors and Bay resources.
The planning process identifies trail audiences, interpretive themes, and strategies for achieving desired visitor experiences. The plan will be a guiding document with reference information that Gateways and other providers can use to develop visitor experiences along the trail.
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