Chesapeake Conservancy

Fort Monroe National Monument

Fort Monroe
Photo by Fort Monroe Authority

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Fort Monroe, a historic fort and key heritage site on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (Chesapeake Trail), is located near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton, VA. The landing of the White Lion at Old Point Comfort (now Fort Monroe) 400 years ago marked the arrival of the first enslaved African people on these shores, setting our nation on a tragic course to slavery – a painful history and legacy that continues to reverberate in all corners of our society today.

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On November 1, 2011, President Obama signed a declaration officially establishing the 325-acre Fort Monroe National Monument. Chesapeake Conservancy was a key leader in the monument's successful formation and participated in the master planning process. On August 25, 2015, Virginia's Governor Terry McAuliffe signed a deed transferring state land within Fort Monroe to the National Park Service. Chesapeake Conservancy was a strong supporter and advocate for the transfer.

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Thanks to these actions, this land is not only protected for future generations but also provides much-needed public access to the Chesapeake Trail and Fort Monroe's vast history.

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Fort Monroe is also included in the proposed Chesapeake National Recreation Area before the U.S. Congress.

In October 2024, Chesapeake Conservancy received a 2024 Chesapeake Gateways grant to support, protect and showcase the natural, cultural, recreational and historical significance of the Phoebus Main Street District, Fort Monroe and the City of Hampton. The $150,000 in grant funding, made possible by National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways, will be used to establish the Phoebus-Fort Monroe Coalition and craft a strategic framework to guide the coalition.

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Visit the Casemate Museum and miles of beaches and enjoy stands of live oaks that grace the grounds. The oldest trees were there when the English colonists stepped ashore in 1607. The beaches offer a natural refuge for Hampton residents and visitors.

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2024

Chesapeake Conservancy Seeks Funding through America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: America the Beautiful Challenge
Advocated for a Land and Water Conservation Fund allocation of $750,000 for Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in the annual appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025

2023

Chesapeake Conservancy and partners worked to conserve 178 acres in Delaware and Maryland (in progress)

2022

Participate in master planning process for Nanticoke Crossing Park (ongoing)
Advocated for congressional earmark of $1.2million in funding for a new sewer pipe at Oyster House Park in Seaford

2021

The City of Seaford, Chesapeake Conservancy and partners celebrate the grand opening of Oyster House Park along the Nanticoke River
Nanticoke Crossing Park is opened in Sussex County, DE, along the Nanticoke River through REPI and Mt. Cuba Foundation funding
On the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, Chesapeake Conservancy along with many valued partners welcomed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in Vienna, Maryland, as she visited the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape to highlight this Sentinel Landscape partnership
Partnership preserves 270 Acres in Wicomico County
Partnership Conserves 318 Acres in Dorchester County

2020

Partnership Conserves 438 Acres in Wicomico County

2019

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Add 27 Acres to National Wildlife Refuge
Partnership Conserves 233 Acres of Farmland in Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area
Grand opening of Woodland Wharf’s improved public access to the Nanticoke with boat dock, canoe/kayak launch and other amenities

2018

USFWS, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Mt. Cuba Center Conserve 155 Acres through Two Projects on the Nanticoke River
Partnership Conserves 230-acre Farm, Linking Protected Areas to Create a 7,730-acre-Corridor of Conserved Lands

2017

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 millionto protect an additional 533 acres of land farmland that will helppreserve the rural character of the Sentinel Landscape and furtherthe mission of the federal, state, and non-profit partners

2016

The Department of Defense (DoD) nationallycompetitive REPI Challenge awarded $1 million to helpconserve lands located within the newly designated Naval Air StationPatuxent River and Atlantic Test Ranges Sentinel Landscape inSouthern Maryland and along the Nanticoke River

2015

The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior designated the Nanticoke River and its surrounding areas as the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape
Chesapeake Conservancy raises $1.65 million to protect additional key properties along the Nanticoke River
USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) selects the Chesapeake Bay is one of eight Critical Conservation Areas, including $5 million for a public-private conservation partnership in the Delmarva region

2014

Chesapeake Conservancy’s Nanticoke River proposal was awarded $1 million through the Department of Defense’s nationally competitive REPI Challenge to protect property along the Nanticoke to protect Naval Air Station Patuxent River readiness
Chesapeake Conservancy processed 1 m x 1 m, high resolution land use land cover data for the Nanticoke River watershed, enhancing decision making options for all of our partners
Chesapeake Conservancy, in partnership with Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) and The Conservation Fund, conserved 17.7 acres of land along Chapel Branch, a tributary to the Nanticoke River near Seaford, DE
Chesapeake Conservancy Hosts National Conference on Landscape-Scale Conservation Initiatives

2013

Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 million to protect key properties along the Nanticoke River

2012

Chesapeake Conservancy supports Delaware’s acquisition of Woodland Wharf, expanding public access to the Nanticoke River

2008

On the heels of the establishment of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, the U.S. Department of the Interior, states of Delaware and Maryland, and the Chesapeake Conservancy signed an agreement to work together to protect the Nanticoke River

2006

Congress establishes the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail which includes the Nanticoke River