Smart Buoy Launched on Capt. John Smith Trail at Washington
May 14, 2010
The eighth “smart buoy” to mark the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was launched on Friday, May 14th at National Harbor, just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
This newest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) buoy, like the others along the trail, records oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Chesapeake and its great rivers and posts them in near real time to the internet, where they can be accessed by mobile devices and computers. It also provides information about the Capt. John Smith Trail, including historic events that happened near the buoy, to enrich the trail experience and aid students in classrooms. This educational information is available by phone and on the internet 24 hours a day. The buoys make up the Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoys System and are part of a larger state and federal system of sensors that monitor conditions in the bay.
Scientists, students, fishermen, trail travelers and others use the information for recreation, education, and science.
Speakers at the event included Rep. Jim Moran, Va.; Sally Yozell, NOAA Director of Policy and Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator; John Maounis, Superintendent of the Chesapeake Bay Office National Park Service; David O’Neill, president, Friends of the John Smith Water Trail; Milt Peterson, Peterson Companies, National Harbor; and Peyton Robertson, director, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.
"Thanks to strong leadership of the Chesapeake Congressional delegation, including Senators Barbara Mikulski, Ben Cardin, Mark Warner and Representatives Steny Hoyer, Jim Moran and Donna Edwards, the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System has developed into a critical tool for scientists, policymakers, students, and those who enjoy the Chesapeake," said David O’Neill, president of the Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail. “This new buoy will allow modern day-explorers on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail to learn about the Chesapeake's history and treasured landscapes, and enhance safety and enjoyment on the Potomac, ‘The Nation’s River’.”
The Friends has been a chief advocate for the buoys and bay monitoring, and has worked with Congress and corporate partners to raise funding to develop the technology and support for the system. In particular, Verizon and Verizon Wireless have been principle partners in the development of the innovative wireless technology that connects the public to the buoys and remain strong corporate partners in the buoy initiative.
A U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender is to deploy the buoy roughly one-half mile from the dock at National Harbor. It will be visible from land.
To contact the buoy, call toll-free 1-877-BuoyBay, or on the web:
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office: http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov
Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System: http://www.buoybay.org
