I got this National Park Service press release in e-mail.
They're looking for comments on public access in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It's being done through an interactive web map hosted by Bing.
The deadline is July 22.
The interactive map where people can point and click to add suggestions on public access in the Chesapeake Bay watershed it surprisingly easy to use. (The state of Maryland uses on built on ESRI's GIS software, and it's a human interface disaster, sluggish, and did I mentioned, has a user interface designed by Sleepy and Dopey?)
Go to: http://www.baygateways.net/...
From the Park Service:
Where do we need boat ramps or fishing piers, places to swim, or scenic spots to bird watch or just look at the water? Use the Public Access Suggestions Map to give us your input about where new access to the Chesapeake Bay and tributary rivers is most needed.
More ...
The National Park Service (NPS) and local and state governments have been studying the places residents can go to enjoy public access to the Chesapeake Bay and tributary rivers. In 2010, the federal Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed set a goal to provide 300 additional public access sites in the Bay watershed by 2025.
The information you provide will help NPS and our partners create the "Chesapeake Bay Region Public Access Plan" due in 2012 to support this commitment for new access. Your participation will ensure that we accurately identify the gaps in public access available now and where there are opportunities for new access sites.
To follow a series of Open House meetings in June, the NPS developed a web-based tool so you can share your ideas on an interactive map. The map is available through July 22nd.
Get a move on, because the comments period ends on July 22.