The House adopted House Resolution 296 (Fairchild-R-Snyder) this week that asks the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail as a national historic trail.

Fairchild, who is a former chairman of the three-state Chesapeake Bay Commission and currently chairs the Susquehanna River Legislative Caucus in the state House, said that the historic designation will help preserve and protect the bay.

"A national historic trail designation would provide rich opportunities for education, recreation and heritage tourism for the 16 million Americans living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and for visitors to the region," Fairchild said.

He noted that legislation has already been introduced in the U.S. Senate to study the feasibility of this designation. Fairchild's resolution will now be forwarded to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

5/13/2005