The sense of place that evolves from outdoor experiences along the waters of the Bay region often leads to a feeling of shared responsibility for the resources. People who enjoy the outdoors are more likely to become active citizen stewards, engaged in the many conservation and stewardship efforts taking place throughout the region. Despite this, physical access to the Bay and its tributaries—the very resources that form the basis for the Chesapeake’s unique identity—is limited. This has real consequences for quality of life, for the economy, and for long-term conservation.
The Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed , issued in response to President Obama’s Executive Order 13508, calls for “expanding public access to the Bay and its tributaries through existing and new local, state and federal parks, refuges, reserves, trails and partner sites.” It includes a key goal to increase public access to the Bay and its tributaries by adding 300 new public access sites by 2025. To support this goal the Public Access Planning Action Team was developed. This team, coordinated by the National Park Service, includes representation from federal, state, local, and non-profit partners responsible for and committed to public access development.
As called for in the Executive Order, the National Park Service, with the guidance and support of the Action Team, has completed and released the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Public Access Plan; a strategy that guides expansion, assesses demand, determines gaps, and identifies opportunities for public access sites in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This plan will also be used to help focus and support collaborative investment for public access development and improvement. The Action Team will continue to meet on an as-needed basis to review and update the Public Access Plan, to implement actions items in the plan, and to track the development of new public access sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Publication date: January 30, 2013 | Type of document: | Download: Electronic Version
The Chesapeake Bay and the major rivers are the region’s ecological and cultural lifeblood. They are the primary features that have shaped human habitation for millennia.
The very resource that means Chesapeake or Susquehanna or...
