The Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail is a regional environmental organization dedicated to conserving treasured landscapes, creating public access and promoting education and stewardship in the Chesapeake Bay and advancing the goals of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and other National Historic Trails in the Chesapeake region. More than 180 state and local government, citizen groups, and business partners, and thousands of individuals make up our partnership.
Founded in 2005, the Friends' goals are to conserve Chesapeake landscapes, increase public access to the Bay, and develop stewardship for the Bay's natural and cultural resources.
The Friends successfully led the effort to establish the John Smith Trail, America's first National Water Trail, and continues to facilitate the trail's implementation and development in close cooperation with the National Park Service.
Recently, the Friends helped preserve more than 6,000 acres of land, including 25 miles of shoreline along the trail. The Friends is advancing NOAA's state-of-the-art buoy program to monitor the health of the Bay and to serve as markers for the trail.