the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia has four components along the York River
Source: Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia, Management Plan: 2022-2027 (Figure 2.1, by D. Parrish)
the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia has four components along the York River
Source: Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia, Management Plan: 2022-2027 (Figure 2.1, by D. Parrish)
Since passage of the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has partnered with the states to create 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves. As of 2023, there were nearly 1.4 million acres protected in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.1
The Chesapeake Bay-Maryland National Estuarine Research Reserve was created in 1985, with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as the state partner. The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia was designated in 1991, with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) as the state partner.2
Of the four units in the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia, Goodwin Islands and Catlett Islands are managed exclusively for research and education with limited public access. There is no public access to the Sweet Hall Marsh unit; it is privately owned. The Taskinas Creek component is within York River State Park. It offers the full range of public access - hiking, biking, equestrian and canoe trails, boat ramp, fishing pier, and a visitor center.3
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve- Virginia