[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40329-40330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13158]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-NER-NEEN-FR00000057; PPNENEEN00/PPMPSAS1Z.Y00000]


Selection of the Route of the New England National Scenic Trail 
and Publication of the Land Protection Plan

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Trails System Act, the National Park 
Service is publishing notice of its selection of the New England 
National Scenic Trail route and a Land Protection Plan for said route. 
Congress established the trail in 2009, which has been in use as a 
long-distance trail since the 1950s.

DATES: The effective date of this route selection is June 21, 2023.

[[Page 40330]]


ADDRESSES: This Federal Register notice announces the route for the New 
England National Scenic Trail following the routes generally depicted 
on the map referenced in the Act. The legislative map depicting this 
route is available for inspection at the following locations: National 
Park Service, Land Resources Program Center, Interior Region 1, 1234 
Market Street, 20th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 and National Park 
Service, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, 2nd Floor, Room 
2342 (MIB 2340), Washington, DC 20240. The route is depicted in more 
detail in the National Park Service Geographic Information System 
database as the ``NEEN_BND_NationalScenicTrailCenterline_ln,'' updated 
April 7, 2023, and listed as the Authoritative Feature Layer, 
published, and managed by the National Park Service, which is available 
at https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2732c458d1d64bfda9b0bbc82de8cc7e.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Fellner, Superintendent; New 
England National Scenic Trail; National Park Service; One Armory 
Square, Suite 2, Springfield, MA 01105; via email at 
[email protected]; or via phone at (413) 734-8551.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2009, Congress established the New 
England National Scenic Trail as a component of the National Trails 
System as part of Public Law 111-11, Sect. 5202 (Act) which amended the 
National Trails System Act to include the trail. The law references the 
trail route as generally depicted on legislated Map No. T06/80,000, 
dated October 2007. The map indicates an extension to the Long Island 
Sound, which was approved as part of the designation. Prior to 
designation, the New England Trail had been continuous in its entirety 
and in use as a long-distance trail since the 1950s. Post designation, 
the Long Island Sound extension was completed, as well as other minor 
relocations to comply with landowner requests. The trail route has been 
largely unchanged since its ten-year anniversary in 2019.
    Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1244(a) and 1246(a)(2), the Secretary of the 
Interior must select the route for the trail and publish notice of the 
availability of appropriate maps or descriptions in the Federal 
Register.
    To guide the protection of this trail route, legislated trail 
partners in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the Connecticut Forest & 
Park Association and Appalachian Mountain Club respectively, conducted 
various land protection planning efforts and held workshops with 
interested stakeholders between 2018 and 2022, resulting in a trail 
protection strategy in each state. Stakeholders participating included 
state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, land 
trusts, and private entities. The National Park Service has combined 
these two strategies, including additional information required by 
policy and various Federal Register notices into a trailwide Land 
Protection Plan. This Land Protection Plan provides the local criteria, 
data, and prioritization process for working with willing sellers and 
partners to protect the trail using various methods. The plan is 
available at https://www.nps.gov/neen/learn/management/land-protection-plan.htm.

Gay Vietzke,
Regional Director, Interior Region 1.
[FR Doc. 2023-13158 Filed 6-20-23; 8:45 am]
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