National Park Service Chesapeake Bay was one of 37 national parks selected to receive a 2014 Active Trailsgrant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks. Now in its sixth year, the Active Trails program supports healthy living by getting people out and active in national parks through projects that help restore, protect, and/or create land and water trails across the country. These projects include hands-on learning, hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, volunteering, and more.

"Through the Active Trails program, people across the country are connecting with their parks, discovering more ways to lead active and healthy lives, and giving back to the places they love," said Dan Wenk, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "These grants are critical to helping with ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance the 17,000 miles of land and water trails across the National Park System."

With this funding, the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay worked with partners to create the All-Sensory Trail at Maryland's Patapsco Valley State Park. The state park is a partner site along the Star Spangled Banner and Captain John Smith Chesapeake national historic trails. The completed project, a half-mile ADA universally accessible trail, enables visitors of all abilities to actively engage multiple senses through a series of interactive natural experiences. This includes interpretive signage in Braille, tactile gardens, wind chimes and drums to play with, and trailside birdhouses to attract songbirds. Participants in the Chesapeake Youth Corps program assisted the park manager with the project. Students at the Maryland School for the Blind visited the trail during the project to make recommendations for trail refinements.

"This grant helps our partners create an innovative, family trail project that improves the quality of life for people", said NPS Chesapeake Bay Superintendent Chuck Hunt. "Plus, the project employed underserved youth in the Chesapeake Youth Corps program and resulted in better recreational services for community members with disabilities."

Since 2008, the National Park Foundation has granted nearly $2.4 million through its Active Trails program.To date, Active Trails has engaged more than 5,900 volunteers and 327 project partners who combined have contributed more than 30,000 hours to help promote, refurbish or build national park trails that were ultimately enjoyed by 331,000 visitors.

"The National Park Foundation's Active Trails program provides vital funding that supports our national parks as centers of healthy outdoor activity for families and communities across the nation," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "The land and water trails maintained by the National Park Service invite visitors to explore natural and cultural beauty, and these grants will expand these great opportunities to even more visitors."

The National Park Foundation wishes to thank The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Disney, the Scrooby Foundation, and Subaru for their generous support of the Active Trails program.