Thursday, January 30, 2025

Chesapeake Bay National Park Not Yet Dead

 Bay Journal, Chesapeake advocates eye 2025 for new Bay recreation area

Congress dashed hopes for a Chesapeake National Recreation Area to be created this year by leaving town without finalizing action on what’s long been a priority for Bay advocates.

Although the Senate unanimously approved the measure Dec. 18, the House did not act, pushing consideration into 2025 after the next Congress is seated.

While the bill did not come up for a vote in the House, it did have bi-partisan support and advocates expressed optimism that the measure had momentum to build upon. Now, though, the legislation will have to be re-introduced in both the House and Senate.

“We’re closer than ever to elevating the Chesapeake Bay to iconic American landscapes like Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Grand Tetons,” said Joel Dunn, president and CEO of the nonprofit Chesapeake Conservancy.

The recreation area would be managed by the National Park Service and unite a series of voluntary participating sites that would tell different parts of the Bay’s natural, cultural and historic stories.

“The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure full of rich history and plays a crucial role in the region’s ecology and economy,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), one of the bill’s sponsors. He said the proposed recreation area would “honor that legacy and help foster responsible stewardship and economic growth in the watershed region.”

Supporters say the proposed recreation area would highlight stories that often go untold, including those of indigenous peoples; free and enslaved Blacks; the role the Bay played in the earliest days of the Maryland and Virginia colonies; and the key role the Bay has played and continues to play in the region’s environmental health and economy.

But, while they promise not to infringe on other uses of the Bay, I'm afraid of the camel's nose under the tent. 

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