I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2588 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2005 
Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia (for herself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. 
GILCHREST, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MORAN 
of Virginia, Mr. GOODE, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. 
HOYER, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. FORBES) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail Study Act of 
2005’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) Captain John Smith’s role in the founding 
of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English 
settlement in North America, and in exploring and 
mapping the Chesapeake Bay region during the pe-
riod from 1607 to 1609 marks a defining period in 
the history of the United States; 
(2) the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Na-
tional Historic Watertrail traces the routes of 
Smith’s voyages from Jamestown to explore the 
Chesapeake Bay and tributaries of the Chesapeake 
Bay, from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay at Cape 
Henry to the northern reaches of the Bay at the 
mouth of the Susquehanna River, including the Po-
tomac River; and 
(3) the designation of the Captain John Smith 
Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail would— 
(A) serve as a reminder of— 
(i) the 400th anniversary of Captain 
John Smith’s founding of Jamestown; and 
(ii) the series of exploratory voyages 
by Smith around the Chesapeake Bay dur-
ing the period from 1607 to 1609; 
(B) give recognition to the Native Amer-
ican settlements, culture, and natural history of
the Chesapeake Bay region during the 17th 
century; 
(C) complement the Chesapeake Bay Gate-
ways and Watertrails Network Initiative; and 
(D) provide new opportunities for edu-
cation, recreation, and heritage tourism in the 
Chesapeake Bay region. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF TRAIL FOR STUDY. 
Section 5(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 
U.S.C. 1244(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(43)(A) The Captain John Smith Chesapeake Na-
tional Historic Watertrail, a series of routes extending ap-
proximately 3000 miles along the Chesapeake Bay and the 
tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the States of Vir-
ginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and the Dis-
trict of Columbia that traces Captain John Smith’s voy-
ages charting the land and waterways of the Chesapeake 
Bay and the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. 
‘‘(B) The study shall be conducted in consultation 
with Federal, State, regional, and local agencies and rep-
resentatives of the private sector, including the entities re-
sponsible for administering— 
‘‘(i) 
the 
Chesapeake 
Bay 
Gateways 
and 
Watertrails Network authorized under the Chesa-
peake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 461 
note; Public Law 105–312); and 
‘‘(ii) the Chesapeake Bay Program authorized 
under section 117 of the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1267).’’. 
Æ