Appalachian Trail Histories

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National Trails Act of 1968 and its Amendment

National Trails Act of 1968

Purpose:

  Establish a national trail system

 Main Stipulations: 

  - A national trail system will have three types of trails- recreational, scenic, and connectors 

        a. Recreational (sec 4): outdoor recreation use trails / access to urban areas 

        b. Scenic (sec 5): conservation and enjoyment of natural, historical, or cultural aspects of trail 

        c. Connectors (sec 6): additional access to scenic and recreational trails

  - Rights of way for the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture to provide protective corridor for the footpath

  - $200 million financing

  - Eminent domain for up to 125 acres per mile; this was allowed only as last resort

 - ensured close government partnership with the pre-existing volunteer organizations

     Prior to 1968

     By 1937, the 2,100 mile trail route from Maine to Georgia was complete. There was always a need for outdoor recreation, which became intensified after World War II in 1945. As a result, the trail construction expanded/relocated onto roads.

   Trail development was all over the place without any sort of federal oversight. Before the National Trails Act, the project had relied on community and volunteer oversight (which is what Benton MacKaye wanted for trail maintenance). It was mostly community oversight before 1968; during the 1930s, private landownwers were conveying their rights to volunteers for trail maintenance and construction. Conveyance of rights was mostly in the form of informal handshake agreements, with some easements. There were encroachments of property. However, the resistance was not widespread like in the 60s and 70s.

1968-78: The Turning Point

   In 1968, the U.S Congress passed the National Trails Act to open the stage for federalizing the trail, signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. 

   1978: the Act was amended to authorize the acquisitions made by the government. Also, the amendment gave the government $200 million, which was more than enough funding power for acquiring more land. The amendment advanced the National Trails Act, making the project a serious real estate endeavor. (the newly amended act was the Appalachian Trail Bill of 1978, signed by Jimmy Carter)

     The Appalachian Trail Bill "means that the federal government can now work more effectively with the states and citizens to provide the protection necessary to preserve-- and ultimately enhance-- this important part of our American heritage."

                                            -Jimmy Carter 

    The government relied on easements and eminent domain to accumulate more land. This was a difference compared to the 1930s since federalization meant more formal processes.