With more than 193 million acres of land, America’s national forests are a haven for outdoor recreationists. Over 50 million people use trails within them annually.
Trails are among the best ways to experience the outdoors, but they need maintenance to ensure they remain in good condition and are available for people to use.
Trails help people to get out to wilderness without having to do much planning. There is no need to chart your own course when you can follow the trail and see where it leads.
Nicholas Geranios (AP), Seattle Post-Intelligencer.com
Jun 16, 2009
Excerpts:
When the national scenic trails system was created four decades ago, the goal was to build a walking path across the United States.
That goal came closer to reality in March, when President Obama signed a bill creating the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and two others. They are the first such trails designated in 26 years.
"The dream of a transcontinental pathway across America is 1,200 miles closer to reaching fruition," said Ron Strickland, a former Washington resident who first proposed the Pacific Northwest trial in 1970.
In January, The Wilderness Society celebrated the passage of a monumental package of wilderness and public lands bills by the Senate.
Now, the fate of the long-awaited Omnibus Public Land Management Act is teetering on the edge as it heads toward a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
All indications say the vote will be extremely close.
As the House prepares to consider the measure this spring, The Wilderness Society is working feverishly to ensure this needed legislation makes it through the final steps.
