" It just kind of blows your mind that you could have 400 years pass and have a landscape like this remain unchanged.

--Ann Swanson

Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Commission

Stewardship

Public support for the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail has been enthusiastic from the beginning. Communities along the trail recognized an opportunity to develop recreational and tourism business. Paddlers saw the chance for adventure.  People interested in the bay's restoration saw an opportunity to protect its vital landscapes and ecosystems.  All these people are stewards for the trail

The Friends will support and build this community with communications and outreach.

As the National Park Service develops the Comprehensive Management Plan for the trail, the Friends will provide information about the process and the proposals through its websites, newsletters, and special notices. It will partner with the National Park Service in this effort.

The Friends will reach out to communities and organizations along the trail to help them develop the opportunities the trail creates.

The Friends will also build a base of support for the conservation of treasured landscapes and vital ecosystems, the places that give the Chesapeake its soul and that provide vital habitat and buffers against pollution.