Besides offering a competitive economic benefit from increased worldwide recognition, National Scenic Trails receive federal funding for maintenance and administration.
By Mariyam Medovaya and Sam DingesA backpacker descends the trails above Eska Falls in the Talkeetna Mountains outside of Sutton. The Chugach Range is in the background.
In December 2022, the Congress allocated $1 million for the Bureau of Land Management to conduct a National Scenic Trail feasibility study for the AKLT. National Scenic Trails are one of three main federal trail designations, outlined under the National Trails System Act of 1968. The Act established various existing National Scenic Trails, such as the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, and specified the criteria for others to be added.
How does this designation affect access, existing user groups and land management? A National Scenic Trail is federally administered, but not managed. In other words, local control is maintained in matters of access, planning and development, and visitor use. A federal agency is assigned by Congress to administer the trail and coordinate with different state, federal and local land managers along the trail route for matters of interagency agreements, financial assistance and resource protection.
What is the timeline and how do you get involved? The feasibility study for the designation is currently underway. General public comment on the trail and preferences for the route are being accepted through June 28 on BLM’sand map portal. For those who have not yet provided feedback, information and listening sessions will take place via Zoom on June 11, 13 and 27.
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