An act to designate a collection of new and existing parks and protected lands throughout the Chesapeake Bay as part of the National Park System was unanimously voted out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Tuesday, November 19. The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act (S.2610), introduced in July 2023 by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), would establish the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia.
“Thanks to Senator Van Hollen’s leadership, this is a great day for the Chesapeake Bay, with another step forward in the four-decade effort to establish National Park Service recognition for the nation’s largest estuary. The Chesapeake Bay is as spectacular as Yellowstone or Yosemite, as great as the Great Smokies and as grand as the Grand Tetons. Establishing the Chesapeake National Recreation Area expands resources for environmental protection and makes it clear that the United States cherishes the Chesapeake, the birthplace of American identity.” – Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn
If the act passes, it would allow the Department of the Interior to acquire land within the recreation area boundaries through donation, purchase from a willing seller, exchange, or transfer from another federal agency. A management plan for the recreation area prepared by the Department of the Interior and the Chesapeake Executive Council would be required, and transportation planning would need to be completed. Interior would also establish an advisory board for the area.
While it has left the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the act will still need to pass through the Senate, the House of Representatives, and to the President before it can become a law.
“The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure worthy of national recognition. Its natural wonders, unique maritime culture and thousands of years of fascinating history deserve the additional resources, attention, and access a national recreation area designation would bring. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is pleased to see the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee acknowledge that by approving Sen. Van Hollen’s Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act. We thank the committee for moving this important bill forward and urge congressional leaders to act quickly to complete work on it.” – Chesapeake Bay Foundation Federal Policy Coordinator Annabelle Harvey