Regain therefore your old spirits, for return I will not, 'til I have seen the Massawomeks, found Patawomek, or the head of this water you conceit to be endless."

- J.Smith

Adventurer

 

Chesapeake Treasured Landscapes

A new report shows the way

The Friends of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake Trail, the Environmental Law Institute and the National Geographic Society have issued a special report and map that recommend the development of a bold and coordinated strategy for conserving the Chesapeake’s treasured landscapes and calls for more federal investment in land conservation.

The report, entitled Conserving Treasured Landscapes in the Chesapeake: A Special Report, bases its findings on the Environmental Law Institute’s careful analysis of more than 25 federal and state conservation programs.

Protecting these landscapes is a key component of President Obama’s recent Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive Order, and responds to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s stated desire to develop a Treasured Landscape program nationally and to use the Chesapeake as one of the targeted regions.

The report notes that intact landscapes provide the bay the diverse habitats that lead to productive fisheries and the immense filtering capacities needed for healthy waters. From these landscapes we get clean water, healthy air, and outdoor recreation, and they contain the history, landmarks, and places that make the Chesapeake special.

“We believe this report and the National Geographic Society map will help the Department of the Interior and its partners define a Treasured Landscape Initiative in the Chesapeake region, and we offer it in that spirit,” said Patrick F. Noonan, Vice Chairman of the Friends. “There is an indivisible link between healthy landscapes and healthy rivers.”

Learn more. Read the press release, look at the map, and read the report and its appendix. To request a hard copy of the map, please contact Colleen Whitlock at 443-321-3610.

 

View our Treasured Landscapes Video