Trail Legislation:
Congress Must Act
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS BILL;
Establishes Nation's First Historic Water Trail
Dec. 19, 2006 — Marking the 400th anniversary of the departure of the Jamestown settlers from England, President George W. Bush today signed a bipartisan bill to create the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the nation's first all-water National Historic Trail.
|
CURRENT STATUS
December 19, 2006 The President signs the Bill
Press Releases
December 8, 2006 The Senate passes H.R. 5466!
Press Releases
December 6, 2006 The House passes H.R. 5466!
Press Releases
October 1 - November 9 Congress adjourns
September 28, 2006 The Subcommittee on National Parks in the House Resources Committee held a hearing for H.R. 5466. The hearing is a major step forward in the trail establishment process. The Bush Administration, Rep. Jo Ann Davis (VA-1), Rep. Thelma Drake (VA-2), Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (MD-1), and Pat Noonan of The Conservation Fund testified in support of the trail.
September 15, 2006 The Department of Interior transmitted the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Study Report and Environmental Assessment to Congress. In transmitting the letter, the Bush Administration endorsed the John Smith Trail and found that it meets the criteria for National Historic Trails. The Administration found that public interest in the study has been “exceptionally high” throughout the study process.
July 17, 2006 The National Park Service has completed the feasibility study for the proposed Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. The study group found the trail historically significant, desirable, and feasible and said the proposed trail “fully meets all the criteria” for a National Historic Trail. It recommended the proposed trail be authorized by Congress and noted that a federal designation would provide a structure that takes advantage of the regional nature of the trail and the many organizations interested in and associated with the history of Captain John Smith’s explorations of the Chesapeake Bay.
The study is available for public review and comment through August 16, 2006. You can download PDF files of the document from the NPS website at http://www.nps.gov/nero/josm/documents.htm.
May 25, 2006 Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R VA-1) introduced House companion bill House Bill 5466. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Resources (Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands). Read Rep. Davis' press release. Twenty-seven representatives joined Rep. Davis as co-sponsors. They are:
| Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. MD-6 | Rep Boucher, Rick VA-9 | Rep Cantor, Eric VA-7 | Rep Cardin, Benjamin L. MD-3 |
| Rep Castle, Michael N. DE | Rep Cummings, Elijah E. MD-7 | Rep Davis, Tom VA-11 | Rep Drake, Thelma D. VA-2 |
| Rep Forbes, J. Randy VA-4 | Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T. MD-1 | Rep Goodlatte, Bob VA-6 |
Rep Holden, Tim PA-17 |
| Rep Hoyer, Steny H. MD-5 | Rep Moran, James P. VA-8 | Rep Pitts, Joseph R. PA-16 | Rep Platts, Todd Russell PA-19 |
| Rep Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch MD-2 | Rep Scott, Robert C. VA-3 | Rep Sherwood, Don PA-10 | Rep Shuster, Bill PA-9 |
| Rep Van Hollen, Chris MD-8 | Rep Wolf, Frank R. VA-10 | Rep Wynn, Albert Russell MD-4 |
May 24, 2006 The Senate's Subcommittee on National Parks passed S.B. 2568. The bill now moves to the Senate floor.
May 16, 2006 The Senate's Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing to receive testimony on S.B. 2568.
- Read a summary of the hearing (PDF file)
- Read Senator Sarbanes' testimony
- Read National Park Service Deputy Director Steve Martin's testimony (scroll about halfway down the web page)
- Read the statement made by Patrick Noonan, Chairman Emeritus of the Conservation Fund
- Read the statement made by Gilbert Grosvenor, Chairman of the National Geographic Society (PDF file)
April 6, 2006 Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced Senate Bill 2568 —legislation to establish the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Senators John Warner (R-VA), George Allen (R-VA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Joseph Bident (D-DE), Tom Carper (D-DE), Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Rick Santorum (R-PA) joined him as co-sponsors. The bill would designate “a series of water routes extending approximately 3000 miles along the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the States of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and in the District of Columbia, that traces the 1607 and 1608 voyages of Captain John Smith.”
March 2006 The NPS, National Landmarks Committee, and the National Park System Advisory Board found that Smith’s voyages are nationally significant, a key step in the process to establish the trail.
August 2, 2005 President Bush signed bipartisan legislation to authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to study the feasibility of establishing the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.