WASHINGTON – U
.S.
Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara Mikulski (both D-MD) joined with
U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-3) today in announcing more than $53,000 in National Park Service funding for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network.
The funding includes $18,600 for the Annapolis Maritime Museum, which will be used to install interpretive panels entitled “From This Spot You Can See Over Four Hundred Years of History” along the water’s edge.
The history panels will be divided into five centuries – 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2000, with artist’s rendition of each time period of the same view.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael’s will receive $34,490 from the National Park Service to create and install one new interpretive exhibit and develop educational and web-based programming for the exhibit.
The exhibit will promote and foster stewardship of the Bay.
“This funding will help to make the entire Chesapeake Bay experience more accessible and enjoyable for Marylanders and all Americans,” said Senator Cardin.
“The Bay is one of our nation’s most treasured resources and we have a duty and obligation to help people understand and appreciate its cultural, historic and natural wonders.”
“The Chesapeake Bay is part of who we are as Marylanders. It’s part of our heritage and it’s part of our culture,” said Senator Mikulski, a member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee which funds this program. “These projects will help record our history, protect the Bay, reflect our values, and renew our sense of pride and wonder. I will continue to fight to preserve our national treasure and its history for future generations.”
“The Gateways program helps to provide meaningful experiences and foster citizen stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “By maintaining the program and providing access to its sites, we can help develop the next generation of environmental stewards, which is one of the best ways to truly ‘Save the Bay.'”
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network connects Americans with the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through 150 exceptional parks, wildlife refuges, museums, sailing ships, historic communities, trails and more.
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network helps people enjoy, understand and appreciate the natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources and values of the Chesapeake and its rivers and engage in their stewardship.
The National Park Service provides matching grants ($5,000 to $50,000) for projects that advance Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network goals. These grants help enhance the public's ability to learn about and enjoy the Bay's special stories and significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become involved in Bay stewardship. Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure
The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, authorized in 2006, is a new but integral part of the Network.
