Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, both Maryland Democrats, secured $1 million in funding for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network in a Senate appropriations bill passed late Thursday night.
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network includes more than 160 parks, wildlife refuges and museums centered around the Chesapeake Bay, as well as 22 water trails.
“The gateways program will help record our history, protect our bay, reflect our values and renew our sense of pride and wonder,” Mikulski said in a statement. Mikulski is a member of the subcommittee that funds the program.
The funding will also support matching grants of up to $100,000 from the National Park Service for accessibility and stewardship, according to the statement.
Cardin said in the statement: “The bay is one of our nation’s most treasured resources and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network helps visitors understand and appreciate the important role the bay has had in our region’s history and culture.”
- By Capital News Service’s Aleksandra Robinson