Public Access Workgroup

Meetings

About

Outdoor experiences along the waters of the Chesapeake Bay can foster a sense of place and create feelings of shared responsibility for the region's resources. People who enjoy the outdoors are more likely to become active stewards, engaged in environmental restoration, conservation and protection. But physical access to the Bay and its tributaries is limited, which has real consequences for quality of life, the economy and long-term conservation.

In 2010, the Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, issued in response to President Obama’s Executive Order 13508, called 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 included a key outcome to increase public access to the Bay and its tributaries by adding 300 new public access sites by 2025. As part of this strategy, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Public Access Plan was created to guide the expansion of public access across the watershed.

In 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement was signed. The Agreement reaffirmed the public access goal and outcome contained in the Executive Order Strategy and included the identical goal and outcome commitment to increase public access by 300 sites by 2015. When the Watershed Agreement was revised in 2025, new public access targets were set:

• By 2040, add at least 100 new sites providing access to natural lands and waters with a strong emphasis on providing opportunities for recreation where feasible.
• By 2040, improve at least 100 of the 1,451 existing public water access sites by upgrading or maintaining site grounds and structures and expanding the range of active and passive recreation opportunities such as paddling, boating, trails, courts, piers, wildlife viewing and picnic areas.
• By 2040, improve at least 40 of the existing public water access sites by adding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) accessible features.
  Increase access to existing urban and community greenspaces identified in the protected lands dataset.

The Public Access Workgroup supports progress toward these targets. The team, coordinated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, includes representation from federal, state, local, and non-profit partners responsible for and committed to public access development.

Projects