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Dear Friend,
Thank you for your support of the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail! We hope you
enjoy the trail updates provided below. Receiving this
newsletter keeps you and your friends apprised of trail
developments, activities, and how you can become
involved.
Have this newsletter sent to a
friend...
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Meet the New John Smith Trail Project Manager
In October, the National Park Service hired Sarah
Bransom as the new John Smith Trail project
manager. Sarah has had a distinguished career as a
planner, including work at Yellowstone as a natural
resource planner. Sarah will spearhead the
development of the Comprehensive Management
Plan for the John Smith Trail. Her expertise and
experience will be critical as the Trail moves forward.
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The National Trails family welcomes us!
The Partnership for the National Trails System
welcomed the John Smith Trail into the fold at the 11th
biannual conference on the National Scenic and
Historic Trails this fall. In ceremonial fashion, "a
birthing" was announced as representatives from the
Friends were inducted before a large audience in
Duluth, Minnesota. See great
article about the event.
2008 will be a grand year as it marks both the 40th
anniversary of the National Trails System Act and the
400th anniversary of John Smith's voyages of
discovery. The National Trails System Act of 1968
established a national system of trails and
designated the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest
Trail as the initial components of that system. The
John Smith Trail is the 25th National Trail.
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We need your support for 'smart buoy' funding!
Thanks to the leadership of Senator Barbara Mikulski-
D-MD, (pictured on left) and the support of Senators
Warner-R-VA, Cardin-D-MD and Webb-D-VA, the
FY 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS)
Appropriations Bill includes $500,000 for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to
continue the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy
System (CBIBS) and deploy more buoys along the trail
that promote awareness of the Bay's condition and its
history. The buoys mark significant points along the
John Smith Trail and provides real-time
meteorological, oceanographic, and water-quality
information. (www.buoybay.org, 877-BUOYBAY).
Please write your Senators and thank them for the
Senate's support for the $500,000 for the buoys
included in the Senate bill. In particular, please thank
Senator Mikulski for beating back an amendment
that would have stripped these funds from the bill.
Also, please write your U.S. Representative
and communicate your support to include the
$500,000 for the CBIBS program in the CJS
appropriations conference report.
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John Smith Trail to help Watermen
Chesapeake College, the Maryland Watermen's
Association, and The Conservation Fund recently
submitted a $1.5 million grant proposal to the U.S.
Department of Labor that would provide training for
watermen to give tours on the John Smith Trail. If
awarded, we hope this program will not only highlight
the Bay's natural and historical heritage but also
shape a new sustainable industry that can help
preserve the Bay's unique sense of place.
This program was supported by the entire MD
Congressional Delegation and Gov. O'Malley's
Workforce Investment Board.
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