Through Executive Order 13508, President Obama asked federal agencies to develop a strategy for protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The executive order called for the National Park Service, in conjunction with watershed states, to "develop a public access plan to inform and guide expansion of Chesapeake watershed public access."
The resulting Chesapeake Bay Watershed Public Access Plan was produced by a Public Access Action Team, which includes people involved in public access planning and implementation in each of the Chesapeake watershed states and the District of Columbia and the National Park Service. In a series of meetings, and through an online process, the public participated in identifying existing sites and suggested potential sites. The public access plan:
Summarizes the demand for public access in the Chesapeake watershed
Outlines the process, steps, and definitions used for developing this plan
Establishes the baseline of existing public access sites
Depicts specific potential public access sites that could be developed in the future, as well as areas and stretches requiring additional attention
Describes planning challenges to be considered in adding new access sites
Summarizes findings and sets out next steps for implementing the plan and increasing access
Questions about the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Public Access Plan can be directed to John Davy. Download and view the full plan by clicking here. Or, you can read the Executive Summary by clicking here.