Mariners' Lake Access Initiative

2023 Chesapeake Gateways Funding

$147,884.00

Sixth grade students from An Achievable Dream Academy paddling on Mariners’ Lake. 

The Mariners' Museum and Park/Amanda Shields

Mariners’ Lake Reopens as a Hub for Outdoor Education and Recreation

After a decade-long closure, Mariners’ Lake in Newport News, Virginia is once again open and creating meaningful, engaging outdoor experiences on the water for its community. Thanks to a $147,884 grant from Chesapeake Gateways, the Mariners’ Museum and Park has restored and expanded lake access, transforming it into a vibrant site for outdoor recreation and environmental education.

Before it was closed in 2014 due to severe storm damage, Mariners’ Lake had long been a community asset. The Mariners’ Lake Access Initiative aimed to revitalize this important outdoor space not just by enhancing infrastructure, but by creating new opportunities for learning, exploration, and environmental stewardship.
At the heart of this project is a dynamic 6th-grade environmental education and kayaking program that aligns with Virginia’s Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) standards. In 2024 alone, the program served 559 students from Newport News and Hampton, many of whom experienced kayaking and water-based learning for the first time. Using a “challenge by choice” approach, students could participate at their own comfort level, fostering confidence and engagement with watersports while learning about local ecosystems, watersheds, and environmental science.

Mariners’ Lake Program Manager Kelly Garner works with sixth grade students from An Achievable Dream Academy to practice safe paddling techniques prior to kayak session.

The Mariners' Museum and Park/Amanda Shields

Education went hand-in-hand with conservation. Students and volunteers helped remove over 2,300 pounds of trash from the lake and surrounding parklands between April and October 2024. Water quality monitoring conducted using advanced Hydrolab technology contributed important data to the Virginia Data Explorer, contributing to regional environmental research and resource management.

These experiences with students and volunteers supported the team in refining safety protocols, including developing a pre-trip safety video, to reduce participant anxiety and streamline instruction. Infrastructure enhancements, like the installation of the Boardsafe Kayak Launch, expanded water-based recreation and educational opportunities for their community. With new adaptive equipment and thoughtful design, Mariners’ Lake is now opening the outdoors to everyone of all experience levels and abilities.

New accessible kayak launch. 

The Mariners’ Museum and Park/Tina Gutshall

While the project faced challenges, including weather delays, unforeseen supply costs, and high demand for programming, its outcomes of renewed community engagement, expanded environmental education and research, and enhanced outdoor recreation will continue to have an impact. As Through this project, the Mariners’ Museum and Park will continue to foster lifelong connections to nature, empower youth through hands-on learning, and ensure lasting access to outdoor recreation opportunities for generations to come.