110 HRES 1443 IH: Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1443 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 16, 2008 Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mr. Filner, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Reichert, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Wu, and Mr. McDermott) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources RESOLUTION Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Trails System Act and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

Whereas 40 years ago, Congress established the National Trails System and President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Trails System Act on October 2, 1968, providing necessary authorities to study, administer, and manage trails in the National Trails System, fostering citizen volunteerism to sustain the trails, and authorizing the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails as the first two components of the system; Whereas the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada connecting 3 States, 3 national monuments, 7 national parks, 25 national forests, and 33 congressionally designated wildernesses; Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail reveals the beauty of the desert, unfolds the glaciated expanses of the Sierra Nevada, and provides commanding vistas of volcanic peaks and glaciers in the Cascade Range, ascending more than 57 major mountain passes and skirting the shores of countless lakes, tarns, ponds, creeks, and rivers; Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail has the greatest elevation changes of any of America's National Scenic Trails, passing through 6 out of 7 of North America's ecozones, including high and low desert, old-growth forest, and arctic-alpine country; Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses along the crests of major mountain ranges including the San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade mountain ranges; Whereas the National Trails System now totals over 60,000 miles in all 50 States, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, and is comprised of 8 National Scenic Trails and 18 National Historic Trails authorized by Congress, more than 1,000 National Recreation Trails and several connecting and side trails designated by the Secretary of the Interior or Agriculture, and thousands of miles of “railbanked” rail trails; Whereas the National Trails System embodies many strands of America’s natural, historic, and cultural heritage, provides countless opportunities for healthful recreation through the great diversity of landscapes and ecosystems that comprise this great American land, and commemorates the rich tapestry of cultures and peoples that comprise our Nation; Whereas congressionally authorized National Scenic and Historic Trails are complex partnerships involving various Federal agencies, primarily the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that administer and manage these trails, while the Federal Highway Administration has been an important source of funding for them, the States and tribal governments, and dozens of dedicated nonprofit trail organizations; Whereas the National Trails System is sustained through citizen-based stewardship with volunteers usually taking the lead in nearly all aspects of trail resources including inventory, database construction, planning, development, interpretation, preservation, and maintenance of the trails; Whereas between 1995 and 2007, volunteers organized and guided by the nonprofit partner trail organizations contributed more than 7,661,000 hours valued at $119,370,000 to help develop and sustain the National Scenic and Historic Trails and the natural and cultural resources along them, leveraging many times over the Federal funding provided for these trails by Congress; and Whereas the many trails in the National Trails System provide local identity, connections to history and heritage, healthy recreation, and economic benefit for thousands of communities throughout the Nation: Now, therefore, be it

That the United States House of Representatives— (1)reaffirms support for the National Trails System and intends to provide funding and necessary authorities to complete the designated National Scenic and Historic Trails; (2)honors the contributions of the thousands of dedicated volunteers, nonprofit organizations, cooperating landowners, and Federal agency staff who work to develop, protect, interpret, and sustain the trails; and (3)recognizes the essential collaboration among Federal agencies and private organizations so necessary to consistently administer and manage the long-distance National Scenic and Historic Trails and encourages the agencies to continue to foster more effective public, private, and interagency collaboration.