The Press
December 3, 2009
Md., Va. Governor tell president $365M a year needed for bay restoration effort to succeed
Daily Press
By Alex Dominguez
Baltimore (AP) – Maryland and Virginia’s governor told President Barack Obama $365 million a year in federal aid is need to successfully implement the Chesaepaek Bay restoration strategy he ordered earlier this year.
The governors sent Obama a letter last week saying they were grateful for his leadership in the issue, but “ to implement that strategy and plan will require a significant investment in resources” and federal assistance is essential if it is to succeed.
Read More >>
For more coverage see:
Washington Examiner
November 11, 2009
Smart buoy coming to Severn
Bay Journal
By Lara Lutz
The remnants of Hurricane Ida blew plans off course for placing NOAA's latest "smart buoy" in the mouth of the Severn River near Annapolis on Veterans Day.
Re-scheduled to deploy in late November, the high-tech buoy will become the seventh in the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System.
Mariners, tourists and teachers are fans of the bright yellow buoys, which collect and transmit information wirelessly about weather and water quality, and share stories about the Bay's cultural heritage.
The information can be accessed on-line at www.buoybay.org or by calling 877-BUOY-BAY (877-286-9229).
Driving rain and strong currents delayed the launch of the latest buoy because conditions made precise placement difficult. Once deployed, the tall solar-powered device will gather information on wind, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll and turbidity every 10 minutes.
"From our perspective, this buoy could not be more optimally placed," said Capt. Robert Brennan of the U.S. Naval Academy. "We will use it every day."
Brennan said the data will shape decisions about maritime activity and emergency response during storms. His oceanography students will also use the data for classwork.
The Severn buoy, like others in the system, will mark a portion of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Boaters and teachers can tap into the buoy for a recorded narrative of the sights and events that Smith encountered at each location four centuries ago.
David O'Neill, president of the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, said the buoys are "essential for making the trail a reality and bringing it to life."
Read More
Top photo: NOAA oceanographer Doug Wilson, Rep. John Sarbanes, and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Director Peyton Robertson stand with the new Annapolis smart buoy which will mark the John Smith Trail and monitor water quality and weather data.
Bottom: US Senator Benjamin Cardin told those assembled to commemorate the buoy launch that the real-time monitoring provided by the smart buoy system supplied valuable information for scientists and wind, current, wave, and temperature information that would aid commercial and recreational boaters.
More stories and TV clips on the buoy launch:
Smarter than average buoy
The Annapolis (Md.) Capital
Weather Scuttles Interpretive Buoy's Launch Party
Southern Maryland Online
Seven High-tech Smart Buoys Coming to Chesapeake Bay
WJLA (D.C.) Television
Chesapeake Bay Gets "Smart Buoys"
WJZ (Md.) Television
NOAA Deploys New Smart Buoy Off Annapolis
Media Newswire
November, 2009
Towns hope that John Smith trail will lead to prosperity
Many believe trail will be avenue to land preservation, tourism and access to Bay
Bay Journal
For Capt. John Smith, Port Deposit in 1608 was the end of the line. But for Erika Quesenbery, the explorer's stopping place just might mark a new beginning.
Instead of "for rent" signs on forlorn buildings downtown, she envisions shops full of historic memorabilia commemorating the captain's epic journey through the Chesapeake Bay. On the waterfront, where a sewage treatment plant now sits, she'd like to see a pavilion for waterfront concerts, a place to rent canoes and kayaks, and open space for visitors to take in a view similar to the one Smith's crew might have seen.
Quesenbery, who has been the unofficial historian of the town she fondly calls "Port" since moving there 10 years ago, has harbored these dreams for a long time. But now, she says, they actually seem possible.
Three years ago, Congress authorized the creation of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail. The National Park Service recently sponsored a series of meetings to ask the public what they want from the nation's first historic water trail, and Quesenbery wants to make sure the government doesn't forget about Port.
Read More
September 17, 2009
Calvert, Park Service Deal To Help Promote Smith Trail
The Washington Post
By Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Calvert County has joined with the National Park Service to help support the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail to promote the area's history while helping to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
Read more
June 2009
Steps being taken to allow public to set foot on island
Bay Journal
Transferring management of Garrett Island to the National Park Service would allow public access yet still protect the island's natural and cultural resources.
Read more
May 12, 2009
President Obama Calls for Conservation of Bay's Landscapes
News Release
The Friends of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake Trail welcome and support the May 12 Presidential Executive Order on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection, which recognizes the Bay's landscapes and ecosystems and the need to conserve them.
Read more
April 7, 2009
Friends of Capt. John Smith Trail Name David O'Neill President
News Release
The Board of Directors of The Friends of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake Trail has named David J. O'Neill president of the non-profit organization, which lead the way in creating the new Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the first national historic watertrail.
Read more
January 29, 2009
State board OKs purchase of land for $57 million
Washington Times
ANNAPOLIS (AP)| Despite troubling financial times, the state Board of Public Works approved buying about 4,400 acres of land for $57 million on Wednesday, a purchase state officials consider too ecologically and culturally valuable to pass up.
Read more
Bay Journal
The Conservation Fund release
Washington Post
Washington Times
WUSA
October 22, 2008
Washington Smart Growth Alliance Targets History, Parks
Washington Business Journal
The Washington Smart Growth Alliance announced six preservation priorities for the region. The group says preserving historical sites and natural beauty is not only critical to the region's heritage, but will also attract businesses and lead to job creation and job retention. One of the six is the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
July/August 2008
Water, Water Everywhere, But Not Drop-in Site
The Bay Journal
The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are beautiful but you can't get to them easily. Currently, only 2 percent of the shorelines of the Maryland Chesapeake offer public access. "Along the Anacostia River," says environmentalist Robert Boone, "there are only two boat ramps along eight miles of tidal river."
Read more
July 25, 2008
Public Boating Access Lags in Anne Arundel, Upgrades Planned
The Annapolis Capital
Maryland state government is looking at expanding and publicizing water access points as part of the Capt. John Smith National Historic Water Trail. The Department of Natural Resources will send a report on access points - and lack of access points - to the National Park Services later this year. The report should pave the way for future improvements to help people get on the water to follow the Smith trail, Mr. Gaudette said.
Read more
July 20, 2008
Listen on the Water
The Free Lance-Star
The Stingray Point buoy joins the one at Jamestown, one near Point Lookout at the mouth of the Potomac River in Maryland and one at the mouth of the Patapsco River near Baltimore.
Read more
June 24, 2008
Blocked From the Bay
Baltimore Sun Op-Ed
The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are beautiful, but you can't get to them easily. Only 2 percent of the Maryland shoreline of the Chesapeake offers public access. The situation is worse in Virginia, observes environmental planner Stuart McKenzie. In the counties of Virginia's Northern Neck, where he works, only 1 percent of the shoreline is available to public access for kayakers, fishermen and bird watchers.
Read more
Media Advisory-May 30, 2008
June 2, 2008-Maryland, Delaware & Partners to Make Announcements On Land Conservation, Tourism & Heritage In Nanticoke River Watershed
Federal and local government partners and conservation organizations will join Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin to make several announcements regarding land preservation, stewardship and heritage tourism opportunities on the Nanticoke River.
Details
May 1, 2008
Shallop Race Promises to be a Bit More Tortoise Than Hare
The Annapolis Capital
It could go down as the slowest boat race ever in Annapolis waters. At high noon Saturday, three replicas of 17th-century wooden boats will race around a triangular course as part of the Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival. The replicas are based on the open boat, or "shallop," used by Capt. John Smith as he famously documented the Chesapeake Bay 400 years ago.
Read more
April 1, 2008
Smith Sought Gold, But Found Stafford
The Free Lance-Star
Four hundred years ago this summer, Capt. John Smith sailed up the Potomac and then the Rappahannock rivers to become the first Englishman to set foot on what was to become Stafford County.
Read more
April 2008
Shallop Continues to Serve as Ambassador for Smith Water Trail
Bay Journal
The shallop that re-enacted Capt. John Smith's 1608 travels on the Chesapeake Bay will enjoy a more restful summer this year without straying far from the public eye.
"The shallop will continue to travel the Bay with a new crew of volunteers, telling the story of the John Smith voyage and the Bay 400 years ago, and introducing the John Smith water trail," said Drew McMullen, president of Sultana Projects.
Read more
April 2008
Photo Destination: Captain John Smith's Chesapeake Bay
Nature Photographers Online Magazine
I have spent three years exploring the Bay by car, foot, and kayak for my recent book Chesapeake: Bay of Light, and I've seen some pretty incredible places and wildlife events. There really is no end to the shooting possibilities in a place as large and diverse as the Chesapeake, and it is difficult to pick only a few areas to focus on, but here it goes. What follows are some of my favorite locations to shoot on the Chesapeake and its tidal rivers. Read more
March 4, 2008
Groups Seek to Interpret Historic Bay Trail
The Free Lance-Star
The Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was the reason for a gathering last week of some two dozen local tourism, historic attraction, state government, and park officials. The group held an idea-sharing session to share thoughts on what the trail should become.
Read more
March 2008
Setting the Story Straight
Bay Journal
Americans' fascination with lone heroes has long skewed the stories of Capt. John Smith and the pivotal time period in which he explored the Chesapeake Bay. It's a problem that organizers of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail want to correct.
Read more
March 2008
History of John Smith's Chesapeake Map Full of Twists and Turns (continued)
Bay Journal
More challenges of the 1600s and what today's mariners have to learn from them.
Read more
February 2008
History of John Smith's Chesapeake Map Full of Twists and Turns (continued)
Bay Journal
Navigational challenges of the 1600s and what today's mariners have to learn from them. Read more
January 24, 2008
Omnibus Spending Bill Includes Funds for Trail
The omnibus spending bill recently approved by Congress includes more than $440,000 for the continued deployment of "smart buoys" to mark the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail and to transmit historical, cultural, and real-time scientific information to boaters.
January 2008
History of John Smith's Chesapeake Map Full of Twists and Turns
Bay Journal
Smith's first published cartographic effort and its successors were the most accurate images of Chesapeake Bay between their emergence from his field notes in 1608 and Augustine Herrmann's much improved 1673 map, which covers four folio pages. Read more
December 26, 2007
Officials Hope Blueway Will Draw Paddlers
DailyPress.com
Canoe and kayak paddlers might be getting a new playground-in the form of a miles-long interpretive water trail that uses some of Poquoson's least-accessed creeks and channels to skirt pristine salt marshes and shore-bird sanctuaries. Read more
December 5, 2007
Chesapeake Executive Council Asked to Expedite Implementation of the New Capt. John Smith Trail
Press release
The Friends of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail has asked the Chesapeake Executive Council to take several specific actions to expedite implementation of the John Smith Trail.
The Chesapeake Executive Council (CEC)meets in Annapolis today. It is made up of the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a legislative body serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The council establishes policy for the restoration and protection of the bay. Read more >>
More from the CEC meeting
A special thank you to James W. Hubbard, Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, who spoke strongly before the press and the Council in support of the Trail. The following is an excerpt from his comments.
By outlining our priority issues for next year we are doing a lot of looking forward. Before I close I want to take one moment to look back. In late 2006, the region achieved two great victories.
The first was creation of the Captain John Smith National Historic Water Trail. The approval process for new national trails usually takes about 12 years to complete. Through the coordinated efforts of all of the members here, this water trail was established in record time - just 22 months. Now that we have the trail, our next goal will be to work closely with the states to implement the trail. This will take coordination among all the state agencies, working in lock step with local governments.
November 25, 2007
Water Trail Revisits Capt. John Smith's Voyage
All Things Considered, National Public Radio
Andrea Seabook takes a trip down the water trail with John Page Williams, a senior naturalist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Listen >>
November 7, 2007
Interview with Joel Dunn, Coordinator of the Sustainable Chesapeake Program
The Boat Show, WNAV Radio
Part I - Joel discusses the Conservation Fund, Sultana Projects, and the 2007 ShallopVoyage (11 min) listen >>
Part II - Joel discusses the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail and Interpretive Buoys (11 min) listen >>
Websites featured:
October 19, 2007
Jo Ann Davis's Legacy as a Conservationist
The Washington Post
Jo Ann Davis, who represented Virginia's 1st Congressional District until her death from breast cancer on Oct. 6, was a leader in conserving America's natural and cultural resources. She introduced H.B. 5466 to establish the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail. Read more>>
September 8, 2007
Boat Returns After 120-day Journey
The Daily Press
A wooden boat of 28 feet, powered by 17th-century sail technology and six oars, will end a journey today that took a crew of 12 into the creeks and rivers and over the open water of the Chesapeake Bay. Read more>>
September 8, 2007
Replica Boat to Return to Jamestown
Associated Press
Four months of extreme togetherness are coming to a close for a dozen adventurers who've been exploring the Chesapeake Bay much like John Smith did - sailing, and sometimes sleeping, in a replica of his small, open work boat. Their journey was set to end Saturday where it began: Jamestown, America's first permanent English settlement, which Smith helped found 400 years ago. Read more>>
September 2007
Chasing History, Slowly
Chesapeake Bay Magazine
Retracing the figurative footsteps of Captain John Smith, who explored the Bay from top to bottom in 1608? That sounds interesting. But doing so under wind- and oar-power alone, in a 28-foot open boat? For 1,500 miles? That's extreme. But for official scribe Andrew Bystrom, and his 11 fellow modern-day explorers, the John Smith 400 Project has been the journey of a lifetime. Article not available online
August 25, 2007
Will Tourists Follow in the Shallop's Wake?
The Free Lance-Star
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other organizations supporting the new trail believe it will kindle fresh interest in the environment, history and the Chesapeake's native peoples.
"The shallop, the map, the diaries, and most of all, the adventure all inspire us to learn more about the fragile ecosystem of Jamestown and our Chesapeake Bay," Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman of the National Geographic Society, told observers at the shallop's Jamestown launch. "What a great way to bring geography and history to life!" Read more>>
August 6, 2007
Indians Seek Recognition
The Washington Post
A traditionally dressed Indian warrior greeted the shallop when it pulled into Calvert County. But representatives from the same tribes had a less-than-welcoming message for government officials: They were tired of not being officially recognized by the state even though they were "exploited" for state-endorsed events. Read more>>
August 8, 2007
Historic Voyage in Chesapeake Bay Provides Unique Water Quality Data Set
Water Online
Four hundred years ago, John Smith kept journals while on his original voyage. He describes the beauty of the Chesapeake waters and its incredible ecosystem. Now, researchers from NOAA are working with the shallop crew to collect high-resolution data about the present-day quality of this same water. Read more>>
July/August 2007
Setting Sail for History
Maryland Life Magazine
The Captain John Smith 400 Project rows its way around the bay. Article not available online
July 27, 2007
'Smart Buoys' Ready to Teach
The Baltimore Sun
The Chesapeake Bay of 400 years ago and the present crossed paths yesterday morning at the mouth of the Patapsco River, when a replica of Capt. John Smith's boat passed by where a bobbing transmitter will tell the story of the explorer and the water around it.
Read more >>
July 25, 2007
Chesapeake Bay High-Tech Buoy Being Launched July 26 to 'Talk' Via Verizon Wireless Data Network
CNN Money.com
On Thursday, July 26, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office will deploy its third "smart buoy" as part of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail -- the nation's first water-based national historic trail and newest national park. The buoy will be positioned at the mouth of the Patapsco River near Baltimore and will collect water-quality data as well as information on waves and currents via a system of sensors. That information is transmitted in real time via the Verizon Wireless, high-speed data network to websites being used for science and education. Read more >>
May 24, 2007
Fox 45 TV News
Tour the trail with John Page Williams and Fox 5's Patrick McGrath
