For Immediate Release:

Sultana Projects, Inc.
105 South Cross Street, P.O. Box 524
Chestertown, Maryland 21620
410-778-5954

Friday, December 8, 2006

Congress Passes Historic Legislation Establishing the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

Washington, DC: On Thursday, December 7th, the United States Senate passed the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act. Earlier in the week, the United States House of Representatives passed similar legislation to establish America's first National Historic Water Trail along the routes explored by Captain John Smith in the early 1600's. It is anticipated that President Bush will sign the bill later this month.

U.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes, John Warner, George Allen and Barbara Mikulski worked with their colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to pass the bill last night. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Jo Ann Davis joined with Rep. Bobby Scott, Thelma Drake, Steny Hoyer, Wayne Gilchrest and many other Members of Congress from Maryland and Virginia to pass this pathbreaking legislation.

The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail will join sixteen existing National Historic Trails, including the Lewis and Clark Trail and the Pony Express Trail, previously established by Congress and overseen by the National Park Service and other agencies. Spanning the waters of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, the John Smith Trail will be the very first National Historic Trail whose route is completely water-based. It is anticipated that the Trail will open up a wealth of educational, conservation and heritage tourism opportunities for the entire region.

The establishment of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail has long been sought by a group of more than 100 regional non-profit organizations, collectively known as the Friends of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail. Among the key organizational supporters of the legislation were the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Conservation Fund, the Issak Walton League, the Maryland Waterman's Association and Sultana Projects (for a full list of supporters visit www.friendsofthejohnsmithtrail.org. In 2007 Sultana Projects will undertake a 121-day authentic reenactment of Smith's 1608 Chesapeake voyage that will introduce millions of people to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail.