[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1206-S1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. Warner, Mr. Allen, and Ms. 
        Mikulski):
  S. 336. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a 
study of the feasibility of designating the Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail as a national historic trail; 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
initiate a study of the feasibility of designating the route of Captain 
John Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as a 
National Historic Trail. Joining me in sponsoring this legislation are 
my colleagues Senators Warner, Allen and Mikulski.
  Our system of National Historic Trails, NHTs, commemorate major 
routes of historic travel and mark major events which shaped American 
history. To date, 13 National Historic Trails have been established in 
the National Park Service including the Lewis and Clark, the Pony 
Express, Selma to Montgomery, and Trail of Tears National Historic 
Trails. To be designated as a National Historic Trail, a trail must 
meet three basic criteria: it must be nationally significant, have a 
documented route through maps or journals, and provide for recreational 
opportunities. In my judgment, the proposed Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail meets all three criteria.
  Captain John Smith was one of America's earliest explorers. His role 
in the founding of Jamestown, VA--the first permanent English 
settlement in North America--and in exploring the Chesapeake Bay region 
during the years 1607 to 1609 marks a defining period in the history of 
our Nation. His contemporaries and historians alike credit Smith's 
strong leadership with ensuring the survival of the fledgling colony 
and laying the foundation for the future establishment of our nation.
  With a dozen men in a 30-foot open boat, Smith's expeditions in 
search of food for the new colony and the fabled Northwest Passage took 
him nearly 3,000 miles around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries 
from the Virginia capes to the mouth of the Susquehanna. On his voyages 
and as President of the Jamestown Colony, Captain Smith became the 
first point of contact for scores of Native American leaders from 
around the Bay region. His relationship with Pocahontas is now an 
important part of American folklore. Smith's notes describing the 
indigenous people he met and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem are still 
widely studied by historians, environmental scientists, and 
anthropologists.
  The remarkably accurate maps and charts that Smith made of his 
voyages into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries served as the 
definitive map of the region for nearly a century. His voyages, as 
chronicled in his journals, ignited the imagination of the Old World, 
and helped launch an era of adventure and discovery in the New World. 
Hundreds, and then thousands of people aspired to settle in what Smith 
described as one of `` the most pleasant places known, for large and 
pleasant navigable rivers, heaven and earth never agreed better to 
frame a place for man's habitation.'' Even today, his vivid 
descriptions of the Bay's abundance still serve as a benchmark for the 
health and productivity of the Bay.
  With the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown quickly 
approaching, the designation of this route as a national historic trail 
would be a tremendous way to celebrate an important part of our 
nation's story and serve as a reminder of John Smith's role in 
establishing the colony and opening the way for later settlements in 
the New World. It would also give recognition to the Native American 
settlements, culture and natural history of the 17th century 
Chesapeake. Similar in historic importance to the Lewis and Clark 
National Trail,

[[Page S1207]]

this new historic watertrail will inspire generations of Americans and 
visitors to follow Smith's journeys, to learn about the roots of our 
nation and to better understand the contributions of the Native 
Americans who lived within the Bay region.
  Equally important, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National 
Watertrail can serve as a national outdoor resource by providing rich 
opportunities for education, recreation, and heritage tourism not only 
for more than 16 million Americans living in the Bay's watershed, but 
for visitors to this area. The water trail would be the first National 
Watertrail established in the United States and would allow voyagers in 
small boats, cruising boats, kayaks and canoes to travel from the 
distant headwaters to the open Bay--an accomplishment that would 
inspire today's explorers and would generate national and international 
attention and participation. The Trail would complement the Chesapeake 
Bay Gateways and Watertrails Initiative and help highlight the Bay's 
remarkable maritime history, its unique watermen and their culture, the 
diversity of its peoples, its historical settlements and our current 
efforts to restore and sustain the world's most productive estuary.
  This legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support in the Congress and 
in the States through which the trail passes. The legislation has been 
endorsed by the Governors of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and 
Maryland. The measure is also strongly supported by The Conservation 
Fund, Izaak Walton League, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the 
Chesapeake Bay Commission. I ask unanimous consent that letters from 
the latter two organizations expressing support for the legislation be 
printed in the Record. I want to commend Pat Noonan, Chairman Emeritus 
of The Conservation Fund, for his vision in conceiving this trail and 
urge that the legislation be quickly enacted.
  As John Smith wrote four centuries ago and as many Americans today 
agree, ``no place is more convenient for pleasure, profit and man's 
sustenance'' than the Chesapeake Bay.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                    Chesapeake Bay Foundation,

                                  Annapolis, MD, February 3, 2005.
     Hon. Paul S. Sarbanes,
     Hart Senate Office Building,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. John W. Warner
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Sarbanes and Senator Warner: John Smith's 
     1607-9 exploration of the Chesapeake was a monumental and 
     historic achievement, shaping the boundaries, character and 
     future of America. His courageous crew traveled almost 3,000 
     miles along the Chesapeake exploring the rivers and making 
     contact with American Indian tribes from what today is known 
     as Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and 
     Delaware.
       In honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of 
     Jamestown in 1607 and the voyages of exploration in the 
     Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation heartily 
     supports the establishment of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake 
     National Historic Watertrai1. We also see the Trail as a 
     vital complement to a strong Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network 
     and believe that valuable synergy can result from the 
     combination.
       Accordingly, we wish to express our support for the 
     bipartisan legislation you are introducing to authorize the 
     National Park Service to study the national significance of 
     Smith's voyages of exploration and the feasibility of 
     estabIihing a watertrail to commemorate the voyage.
       We believe that the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National 
     Historic Watertrail would provide invaluable assistance in 
     meeting the goals of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, our 
     blueprint for restoring and sustaining the Bay's ecosystem, 
     which has been badly damaged over the past 400 years by the 
     heavy footprints of our large and still-growing presence in 
     its watershed.
       By focusing national attention upon the inherent beauty and 
     abundance of the Bay and its rich cultural and historic 
     values, America's first national watertrail would educate and 
     inspire visitors to explore, restore, and protect this unique 
     resource. The watertrail would provide exceptional 
     interpretation and stewardship opportunities, promote habitat 
     restoration and protection, and provide unparalleled 
     recreational and eco-heritage experiences--all in a cost-
     efficient and low-impact manner.
       Involving Communities, non-governmental organizations 
     public agencies, businesses, and private landowners in 
     establishing the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National 
     Historic Watertrail would demonstrate a new model for public-
     private partnerships that will form the basis of how we care 
     for our national treasures in the 21st century.
       Nearly 400 years ago Smith sailed the Chesapeake and saw 
     the promise of a nation built on exploration, discovery and 
     partnership. America's first national watertrail will 
     celebrate the waters that once captured America's imagination 
     and instill awe and the, spirit of discovery in future 
     explorers, while it motivates them to take up active roles in 
     restoring its health.
       Your support of the study is critical to recognize this 
     magnificent national resource.
           Respectfully,
                                                 William C. Baker,
     President.
                                  ____



                                    Chesapeake Bay Commission,

                                  Annapolis, MD, February 1, 2005.
     Hon. Paul S. Sarbanes,
     Hart Senate Office Building,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
     Hon. John W. Warner,
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Sarbanes and Senator Warner: John Smith's 
     1607-9 exploration of the Chesapeake was a monumental 
     historic achievement, shaping the boundaries, character and 
     future of America. His courageous crew traveled almost three 
     thousand miles along the Chesapeake exploring the rivers and 
     making contact with American Indian tribes from what today is 
     known as Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania 
     and Delaware.
       In honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of 
     Jamestown in 1607 and the voyages of exploration in the 
     Chesapeake Bay, we support the establishment of the Capt. 
     John Smith Chesapeake National Water Trail. The Trail would 
     be a vital complement to the existing Chesapeake Bay Gateways 
     Network.
       Accordingly, we wish to express our support for the 
     bipartisan legislation you are introducing to authorize the 
     National Park Service to study the national significance of 
     Smith's voyages of exploration and the feasibility of 
     establishing a water trail to commemorate the voyages.
       We believe that the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National 
     Water Trail would provide invaluable assistance in meeting 
     the goals of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, our blueprint for 
     restoring and sustaining the bay's ecosystem.
       By focusing national attention upon the inherent beauty and 
     abundance of the Bay and its rich cultural and historic 
     values, America's first national water trail would educate 
     and inspire visitors to explore and protect this unique 
     resource. The trail would provide exceptional interpretation 
     and stewardship opportunities, promote habitat restoration 
     and protection and provide unparalleled recreational and eco-
     heritage experiences--all in a cost-efficient and low-impact 
     manner.
       Involving communities, non-governmental organization, 
     public agencies, business and private landowners in 
     establishing the Water Trail would demonstrate a new model 
     for public-private partnerships that will form the basis of 
     how we care for our national treasures in the 21st century.
       Nearly 400 years ago Smith sailed the Chesapeake and saw 
     the promise of a nation built on exploration, discovery and 
     partnership. America's first national water trail will 
     celebrate the waters that once captured America's imagination 
     and instill awe and the spirit of discovery in future 
     explorers.
       Your support of the study is critical to recognize this 
     magnificent national resource.
           Respectfully,
                                               Senator Mike Waugh,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, come 2007, Virginia, along with the rest 
of our great Nation, will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the 
historic founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement 
in the New World. At this site, back in 1607, an adventurous band of 
Englishmen, led by Captain John Smith, pitched down their stakes on the 
shores of the Chesapeake Bay, tired from a long journey across the blue 
ocean, but full of hope for the possibilities that lay ahead. And 
although they primarily came in search of economic gain, they brought 
with them many of the principles that were integral to the formation of 
our American Democracy. Free enterprise, the entrepreneurial spirit, 
and respect for the principles of representative government and the 
rights of man would guide these settlers through the trials and 
tribulations of those tough, early years.
  As we Virginians know, nobody was more influential in this founding 
endeavor, than their leader: Captain John Smith. Captain Smith was not 
just the man famously saved from death by Pocahontas, and he was more 
than the mere commander of a small group of pioneers. John Smith, as 
Virginians learn at a young age, was the first ambassador to the native 
peoples of the Chesapeake, exchanging cultural customs, trading goods 
necessary for the fledgling colonists survival. John Smith was also the 
first English explorer of the many creeks and rivers

[[Page S1208]]

that populate the Maryland and Virginia of today. From 1607 to 1609, 
Captain Smith plied the briny Bay waters, recording history and 
surveying the land, even this patch of Earth where our Nation's Capitol 
stands today. In honor of Captain Smith's historic 3,000 mile journey 
through the choppy Chesapeake's main stem and tributaries, I rise 
today, joined by Senator Sarbanes and my colleagues from the Bay 
States, to propose a bill authorizing the study of the feasibility of 
designating the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic 
Watertrail.
  What would this trail accomplish? What would be its purpose? Outside 
of the obvious tourism it would bring to the region, and besides the 
fact that its creation would complement the existing Chesapeake 
Gateways Network, the Watertrail would educate Americans on the perils 
of our first English settlers, on their interaction with the numerous 
Native tribes, on the voyages they undertook to better understand the 
New World they had come to inhabit. First hand, students and seniors, 
parents and children, would be able to retrace the paddle strokes and 
footsteps of Captain John Smith, to see what he saw, to learn what he 
learned, to know what he meant when he wrote in his diary that 
``oysters lay thick as stones'' and fish could be caught ``with frying 
pan(s).''
  Ultimately, this trail would allow for a deeper appreciation for the 
Chesapeake, for a better understanding of the settlers hardships, and 
for the distinct cultures, English and Indian, that came to pass, in 
that historic era, at this historic place. Today I rise to celebrate 
Captain Smith's foresight, to celebrate the founding steps of America, 
and to celebrate the bounty of the Bay. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in supporting this feasibility study for the Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail.
                                 ______