Annapolis, MD (05/31/11) - Where do we need boat ramps or fishing piers, places to swim, or scenic spots to bird watch or just look at the water?  Come to a Public Access Open House to give us your input about where new access is most needed to the Chesapeake Bay and tributary rivers. 

The National Park Service (NPS) and local and state governments have been studying the places residents can go to enjoy public access to the Chesapeake Bay and tributary rivers.  In 2010, the federal Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed set a goal to provide 300 additional public access sites in the Bay watershed by 2025.

The information you provide will help NPS and our partners create the “Chesapeake Bay Region Public Access Plan” due in 2012 to support this commitment for new access.  Your participation will ensure that we accurately identify the gaps in public access available now and where there are opportunities for new access sites. Plenty of maps will be on hand so you can pinpoint the locations that are important to you.

Open Houses are scheduled from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. You can stop by any time during those hours to mark a map with your suggestions. Staff will be on hand to answer questions. Open House dates and locations are as follows:

June 21 – Harrisburg, PA
Fish and Boat Commission Headquarters (Susquehanna Room)
1601 Elmerton Avenue

June 22 – Baltimore, MD
Ft. McHenry Visitor Center
2400 East Fort Avenue

June 27 – Washington, DC
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (Room A-10)
901 G Street NW

June 28 – Richmond, VA
Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries Headquarters (Board Room)
4000 West Broad Street

Not able to attend a public meeting? NPS developed a web-based tool so you can share your ideas on an interactive map. The site will be available for use June 21st through July 20th.  This online tool will allow the public an easy way to share input with NPS and state agency staff. To see the map and enter your suggestions for public access, point your browser to http://www.baygateways.net/tools/publicaccess/.

For more information contact: Cindy Chance