The Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail support Alternative 3, which would organize the trail around the theme of the Chesapeake Region in the 17th Century. This alternative would conserve significant resources, including viewsheds, natural landscapes, archeological sites, and historic American Indian sites and John Smith voyage landing sites. It would protect the larger nationally significant landscapes and waterways associated with the Chesapeake Bay and the John Smith Trail.
The Friends would like to see the alternative modified to enhance recreation and stewardship opportunities. This would mean more emphasis on the development of soft landing public access sites, camping opportunities, environmental stewardship projects, and partnerships with local organizations along the trail.
Click here for a detailed summary of the resource protection, visitor experience, and partnership objectives suggested by the Friends. They include all the contents of alternative 3 with additional elements from alternatives 2 and 4, and ideas not currently captured in the alternatives.
A draft plan will be developed after the workshops and will be available for public comment in December. A final plan, which will include responses to
the public comments, is expected in spring 2010. For more information on the trail and the management alternatives, visit the park service's planning
website or the trail website www.smithtrail.net.
The Trail will be administered in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, the Chesapeake Bay Program and in consultation with other Federal, State, tribal, regional, local agencies and the private sector.
Public and private organizations that have already contributed to create this unique Chesapeake Bay experience include:
The trail is a work in progress. You can help plan the trail. To learn more about planning the National Historic Trail by staying in touch with the planning process.