Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Signed Into Law

Annapolis, Md. (December 21, 2006) - The National Park Service’s Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and the Chesapeake Bay Program will have special responsibilities for the new Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, established by legislation signed by President Bush on December 19, 2006.

The law calls upon the Secretary of Interior to administer the new historic trail “in coordination” with the highly successful Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and “in consultation” with the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program that is leading the estuary restoration effort.

“The creation of the Captain John Smith National Historic Trail is an essential component of furthering the public’s knowledge and understanding of the Chesapeake Bay. This trail will provide opportunities for people to interact with the Bay’s diverse range of histories, cultures, and ecosystems which will help generate stronger stewardship of this national treasure,” said Rebecca Hanmer, director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. “We commend Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Senator John Warner (R-Va.), and Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis (R-Va.) for introducing this important legislation.”

Designation of Capt. John Smith’s legendary route of exploration around the Chesapeake Bay between 1607 and 1609 will assist in the preservation of the trail’s history, highlight the contributions of Native Americans in the Chesapeake region, as well as allow visitors to learn about the Chesapeake Bay’s past and present environmental condition.

Starting in Jamestown, Va., the new water trail will follow Capt. Smith’s two main voyages of discovery up the Chesapeake Bay and also include his incursions into the York and James rivers. The trail follows Smith’s first voyage north along the Eastern Shore, then crosses the Bay to present-day Baltimore as it continues southward along the Western Shore and up the Potomac River to what is now Washington, DC before returning to Jamestown. The second leg of the Smith trail travels straight up the Bay to the mouth of the Susquehanna River. The return route southward has stops along the Patuxent and Rappahannock rivers.

The John Smith trail is the first national water trail in the United States and will be administered by the National Park Service. The trail is designed to complement the existing Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network. The current network, authorized by Congress in 1998, numbers more than 150 gateway sites and over 1500 miles of water trails including the James River alongside Jamestown and reaching into the most distant parts of the watershed, the Chemung River in New York. The National Park Service will be developing a trail management plan for the new John Smith Trail beginning early in 2007 which will involve extensive public input.

The Chesapeake Bay Program has been an active proponent of the John Smith Trail over the last two years. The program’s governing Executive Council first discussed the concept at its January, 2005 meeting when former Governor Mark Warner (D-Va.) was serving as chair of the council. Letters of support for the trail, an accelerated feasibility study, and final adoption were sent by council members. At the November, 2005 meeting the council met with then National Park Service Director Fran Mainella to express their support for the John Smith Trail and several members provided funding in support of the expedited feasibility study.