Join the Chesapeake Gateways Visitor Experience Network

Does your organization own or manage a site, trail, connecting route, water trail, or heritage area that helps visitors connect to the Chesapeake Bay watershed? Joining the Chesapeake Gateways visitor experience network can provide helpful resources to your visitors and your organization.

About Chesapeake Gateways

Chesapeake Gateways is a system of places providing opportunities to enjoy, learn about and help conserve the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Included in the visitor experience network are diverse natural, cultural, historical, and recreational sites, trails, museums, parks, refuges, interpretive and orientation facilities, and associated programs. These places, and Chesapeake Gateways as a whole, serve as entry points and the key guide for experiencing the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

To increase public awareness, improve technical assistance, and leverage National Park Service resources to benefit member places and partners, the National Park Service is implementing a refreshed process for joining the visitor experience network. This contemporary vision, captured in our 2021 Updated Framework, was developed with strong partner input that builds upon 25 years of lessons learned and countless success stories and promotes opportunities to expand and elevate our collective conservation, storytelling, and stewardship.

Interested in Joining the Visitor Experience Network?

Key to connecting with Chesapeake Gateways is an updated intake process for member places. This process is comprised of a Self-Nomination questionnarie which will inform the establishment of a formal General Agreement with clear commitments and benefits from the National Park Service to members. These benefits include:

• Orientation and training opportunities for partner staff

• Regular visitor experience network updates with resources and benefits

• Inclusion on www.NPS.gov/Chesapeake and the National Park Service Mobile Application

• Inclusion and access to NPS App Experiences and thematic trip ideas

• Use of the Chesapeake Gateways Branding Identity within agreement guidelines

• Inclusion in Chesapeake Gateways brand materials

• And more to come!

To join or rejoin Chesapeake Gateways, please complete the questionnaire for each place your organization manages. Click here for self-nomination instructions.

The Review Process

NPS Chesapeake Gateways reviews Self-Nominations for eligibility on a rolling basis throughout the year, and agreements will be finalized quarterly. Self-Nomination forms will be evaluated for completeness and information verified, but there is no qualitative evaluation. Receipt of your nomination will be acknowledged within ten [10] days of submittal; and NPS staff will follow up with next steps.

For additional information or clarification, please reach out to Brent Everitt, Director of Communications and Visitor Experience by email.

2024 Self-Nomination Submission Deadlines

Winter Review Period: Last Day to Submit Self-Nominations – March 1

Spring Review Period: Last Day to Submit Self-Nominations – June 1

Summer Review Period: Last Day to Submit Self-Nominations – September 1

Fall Review Period: Last Day to Submit Self-Nominations – December 1