Join NPCA and the National Park Service on Saturday April 6, 2019 for the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Park volunteers help keep our area of the Potomac River watershed clean.
Great Signage News For ADT Routes!
America’s first coast-to-coast trail could soon receive a huge upgrade, thanks to legislation that just passed the U.S. Senate. The Natural Resources Management Act of 2019 directs federal land managers to allow the American Discovery Trail Society to place signs marking the American Discovery Trail (ADT) on the lands they oversee.
The bill passed the Senate by 92 votes to 8 on February 12th and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
“The American Discovery Trail Society is thrilled that the Senate has passed this bipartisan bill,” said ADT Society congressional liaison Peter Schoettle. “We laud the leadership and assistance of Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia for sponsoring the section of the act regarding ADT signage.”
The Act directs the Secretary of the Interior, overseeing the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture, overseeing the U.S. Forest Service, to “place signage on the federal land.”
Placing signage marking the American Discovery Trail will help thousands of hikers and bikers find the route, from Cape Henlopen in Delaware on the Atlantic to Point Reyes in California on the Pacific. Previous National Park Service policy allowed each park superintendent to decide on their own whether to allow signs. Some did; others didn’t.
Allowing trail markers, paid for by the American Discovery Trail Society, is a common sense, safety issue. Proper signs help trail users to avoid getting lost. Staying on the trail can be a life and death issue, particularly in vast desert and mountain stretches out West.
“I’m pleased this provision will expand access to the American Discovery Trail, which connects trails from coast to coast, giving more Americans the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while supporting tourism and economic development for local parks and communities. This will expand recreational opportunities and improve quality of life in our state and around the country. We commend the American Discovery Trail Society for their dedication in pushing this provision forward, and we hope to see it signed into law soon.”
Senator Chris Coons, Delaware.
The American Discovery Trail is the nation’s only coast to coast, non-motorized trail connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It provides the backbone of the national trail system, linking numerous other national scenic and national historic national trails, and countless state and local recreational trails in one national system. It facilitates countless Americans enjoying nature and the outdoors not only in remote wilderness locales, or national parks and forests, but also in numerous cities and urban environments.
On The Trail: Nebraska Wear Yellow Night on the Wabash
Thu Apr 25 2019, 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm
The Wear Yellow Nebraska crew is hitting the Wabash Trace Nature Trail on a Thursday Taco Ride to promote the 16th Annual Wear Yellow Ride, Run & Walk!
Show us your yellow (shirt, jersey, hat, socks . . . you get the picture) and we’ll give you a fabulous prize! (until we run out!)
Encourage your friends to come out, learn about Wear Yellow Nebraska and sign up for our ride, run & walk!
Rain Location: In the event of inclement weather, our back-up location is DJ’s Dugout at Aksarben Village
On The Trail: Kennedy 50 Mile C&O Canal Walk
The 6th annual reprise of John F Kennedy’s 1963 walk on the C&O Canal, part of the American Discovery Trail. We got very late notice of this but since it is an annual event posted it anyway.
https://www.kennedy50.org/
On The Trail: Nebraska St. Patrick’s Day Run & Ride
Saturday March 16th, 2019, Johnson Lake, Nebraska
A 10.5 mile race on the Johnson Lake Trail which is part of the ADT, this event has raised over $30,000 for the Johnson Lake Trail system in the past 5 years!
Looks like great fun!
New Sponsor: FLTGear
We welcome our latest business partner FLTGear.com – online rental of bicycle touring equipment.
“Gear up and ride. Here at FLTGear we want every bicycle tourist, whether first time or veteran, to have an awesome trip. Let us help you prepare for that next adventure.”
If you are interested in sponsoring the ADTS as a business partner check out all the details here – plans start at $50/year
Featured Article: What SAR Wants You To Know by Nancy East
Nancy East is a Search and Rescue team member in North Carolina.
Article
Newsletters: Winter 2018/2019
The Winter 2018/19 Newsletter is now available.
- Northwest Indiana feature
- Bend Rail Trail news
- New Colorado coordinator
- Flint Hill news
- The ADTS donor list
- Packing Across America by Roger Ditmer
- ADT signage bill update
- Interview with Colleen Davis and her dog Jacob
Previous editions are available on the Newsletter page.
North Bend Rail Trail success
West Virginia
The acquisition for the North Bend Rail Trail extension to Corning park has been approved!!!!
“Acquiring the land to connect the North Bend Rail Trail to the City of Parkersburg has been a dream for more than two decades. The purchase of this CSX property brings us much closer to completing the American Discovery Trail and fills another gap in the Parkersburg-to-Pittsburgh trail envisioned by the national Rail Trail Conservancy,” said Mark Abbott.
Governor Justice said these improvements to West Virginia infrastructure are the kind of projects needed to help make West Virginia a national tourism attraction and help to make West Virginians proud of their home state.
Kansas Celebrates Flint Hills Opening
The Flint Hills Nature Trail celebrated its grand opening with a Rush the Rails event in October. More than 290 people bicycled all or part of the 96 miles of trail from Osawatomie to Council Grove. At the finish line in Council Grove, participants were greeted with entertainment, food, and fireworks. By the time you read this, the ADT will have been rerouted off of roads to follow many miles of this new trail—with ADT signs already up.
More information: All Trails