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2006 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 231
Commending Virginia's efforts to develop components of the Captain John Smith Land and Water Trail on Virginia's tributaries.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 3, 2006
Agreed to by the Senate, February 9, 2006

 

WHEREAS, in 1607 the first permanent English settlement was founded in North America; and

WHEREAS, Captain John Smith played a pivotal role in maintaining and supporting that settlement; and

WHEREAS, Captain John Smith explored and mapped over 1,700 miles of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in just over three months; and

WHEREAS, Captain John Smith's notes and observations from these journeys became the Bay map of 1612 that is still studied today; and

WHEREAS, Smith’s Bay voyages mark a defining exploration of the New World and deserve recognition; and

WHEREAS, in April 2003, at the Governor’s Natural Resources Leadership Summit the concept of the Captain John Smith Land and Water Trail was conceived; and

WHEREAS, the water trail depicts the extraordinary contributions of Native-American culture, settlements, and individuals; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of the Captain John Smith Land and Water Trail will offer new historical, educational, stewardship, recreational, and tourism opportunities; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Council on Indians, and Jamestown 2007 have combined knowledge and resources for this historic initiative; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has partnered with numerous organizations on this project, including the National Geographic Society, the Conservation Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the James River Association; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has traced the explorer’s journey up the James River and developed the Captain John Smith’s Adventure on the James trail and educational poster; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is currently tracing the York River exploration and expects both the James and York River segments to be fully completed for the 400th anniversary commemoration; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s efforts are part of the potential development of a multistate National Historic Water Trail tracing the routes of Smith’s voyages 400 years ago from Jamestown to include the exploration and mapping of nearly all of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; and

WHEREAS, the 109th Congress of the United States has directed the Secretary of Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Land and Water Trail as a National Historic Trail (S. 336, H.R. 2588); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Virginia's efforts to develop components of the Captain John Smith Land and Water Trail on Virginia's tributaries; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Council on Indians, and Jamestown 2007 as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude for their hard work and dedication.