Non-Profit Org. u .s. Postage

PAID Permit No. 47

Caledonia, Ml 49316

Newsletter of the

North Country Trail lmociation

Martha Jones Membership Chairman

As of November first, we have three hundred twenty-two paid memberships for the year 1989-90, including Individuals, Family, Supporting, Organizations, and Life members. This number includes two new Life Members (making a total of six), plus sixty-nine new individuals, three new organizations, and many renewals.

A big "Thank you" goes to all of you who renewed your memberships so promptly, and a sincere welcome to the members who returned after a year or two absence. It's nice to have you back.

To our many NEW, first year members, we sincerely welcome you and thank you for your support.

We'd also like to acknowledge and thank the many new and past members who sent in additional donations to the NCTA, totaling $535.00 (this amount over and above Supporting and Life memberships received).

At this same time last year (11-1-88) we had only one hundred forty paid memberships for the year 1988-89. So, we're doing great! Let's keep the new memberships coming in, and get the balance of '89 memberships renewed. Who knows, we just MIGHT meet that goal of one thousand members by the time we celebrate our tenth Anniversary.

Let's ''GO FOR IT''!

Membership report

Have you got a good hand with a speedball pen? Would you like to help out with a North Country Trail project over the winter months?

Someone with drawing and/ or drafting talent is needed to develop sketch maps to illustrate a new NCTA publication, "Day Hikes on the North Country Trail''. The booklet is mostly written, but it can't go to print until someone can do about thirty sketch maps.

Interested persons can contact the newsletter editor, Wes Boyd, for further details.

***

It looks as if the next trail multiple-use issue is going to arise over mountain bikes.

Mountain bicycles, with heavy frames, fat tires, and lots of low gears, are designed for off-road use, and are growing in popularity. Unless a trail has a downed log every seventeen feet, there's no reason a mountain bike couldn't be operated over lots of trails heretofore more or less physically restricted to foot use, so we'll undoubtedly be seeing more of them.

On the North Country Trail, the ultimate authority over whether this type of use will be permitted will lay with the local managing agency. Mountain bikes are certainly a non-motorized use, and the NCT is, after all, a "non-motorized multiple use trail".

I'd be interested in hearing comments, pro and con, about mountain bikes and the North Country Trail, both for inclusion in a future newsletter article, and for comments I can take to the Michigan DNR Trails Advisory Committee.

*** The deadline for the spring issue of the NCTA newsletter will

be February 28, 1990. For future reference, the deadline for the summer issue will be June 10, 1990.

Keyboard Trails

by the Editor

North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90

Special offer! Any new commercial memberships to the NCTA -- which cost $500 -- will receive a premium of four free

full-page ads in the NCTA newsletter. This is a $200 savings to commercial members.

Four Issues $40.00 $80.00 $120.00 $200

NEWSLEITER ADVERTISING FEE SCHEDULE

Single Issue $15.00 $25.00 $40.00 $70.00

Page size 1/8 1/4 112 1

Please report any errors or omissions to the editor.

Finger Lakes Trail Council; Tom Reimers Barbara Smith. John G. Hipps

Buckeye Trail Association: Emily Gregor Michigan NCTA Coordinating Committee: Wes Boyd

Bob Dries Minn. NCTA Coordinating Committee: Rod Mac.Rae, Ed Solstad

Linda Vargeason

(402) 221 3481

!701 I 232-8513

(612) 377-0130 (216) 375-4461 (612) 822-05"9

(715) 635-8193 (414) 354-8987

(616) 452-4487 (517) 547-7402 (313) 548-1737 (616) 891-1366 (616) 784-6641 (313) 280-2921 (616) 363-5966 (313) 231-1257 1616 I 454-0545 (616) 689-6876

(216) 884-0281 (216) 867-3371 (216) 884-4757 (614) 882-8023 (216) 385-7122

(814) 968-5 759 (814) 435-2311 (814) 435-2371 (412) 364-2864

Pittsburg PA 15222

(607) 564-3548 (607) 272-8679 (607) 334-3872

(607) 272-5119 (716) 288-7191

New York: Pennsylvania: Ohio: Michigan: Wisconsin: Minnesota: North Dakota:

REGIONAL CHAPTERS/COORDINATORS/ AFFILIATES

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ADMINISTRATOR Tom Gilbert, National Park Service 1709 Jackson sr., Omaha NE 68102-2571

North Dakota Linda (Vargeson). 1536 Second Ave. S. Fargo ND 58103

Minnesota Red MacRae. 1210 W. 22nd si.. Minneapolis MN 55405 Jim Richards. Rt. 1. Callaway MN 56521 Ed Solstad. 3701 Pillsbury Ave. S .. Minnespolis MN 44509

Wisconsin Robert E Dreis. 1632.Smith si.. Spooner WI 54801 Gaylord Yost. 2925 W. Bradley Rd . River Hills WI 53209

Michigan Pat Allen, 2215 Sylvan Or. SE. Grand Rapids Ml 49506 Wes Boyd. 14845 Rome Rd . Manitou Beach. Ml 49253 Derek Blount. 906 N. Alexander. Royal Oak Ml 48067 Ken Gackler. 413 W. Johnson St.. Caledonia Ml 49316 Art Holland. 492 Four Mile Rd .. Comstock Park. Ml 49321 Martha K. Jones. 1857 Torquay Ave .. Royal Oak Ml 48073 Ruth Sack. 2317 Foster NE. Grand Rapids Ml 49505 Vince Smith. Box 76. Whitmore Lake Ml 48189 Jim Warmels. 696 Plymouth NE, Grano Rapids Ml 49506 Virgina Wunsch. Rt. 1. Mundy Ave .. White Cloud Ml 49349

Ohio Emily Gregor. 6502 Olde York Rd .. Parma Hts .. OH 44130 Cecil Dobbins. 783 Cliffside Dr .. Akron OH 44313 Jim Sprague. 4406 Maplecrest. Parma OH Tomi Lou Spyker. 7040 Africa Rd .. Rt. 1. Galena OH 43201 Herschel A. Rubins. 324 W. 4th St.. E. Liverpool OH 43920

Pennsylvania Don and Brita Dorn. Star Route Box 476, Sheffield PA 16347 Barbara A. Smith. 11 W. Main St.. Galeton PA 16922 John G. Hipps. 11 W Main St.. Galeton PA 16922 Glenn Oster. 784 Olive St Pittsburg. PA 15237 Paulette Johnson. West. PA Conservancy. 316 4th Ave ..

New York Doris and Clifford Abbott. Rt. 1. Box 259. Spencer NY 14883 Howard S. Beye. 202 Colbourne Rd .. Rochester NY 14609 Candice Bowen Bosworth. Rt. 1. Box 170. Corinth NY 12822 Laura McGuire. 1 Boylan Rd . Newfield NY 14867 Thomas J Reimers. 3C Wildflower Dr .. Ithaca NY 14850 Ed Sidote. 5 Clinton sr.. Norwich NY 13815

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS President: Thomas Reimers. 3C Wildflower Dr .. Ithaca NY 14850 (607) 272-8679 Vice-President: Ruth Sack. 2317 Foster NE. (;rand Rapids Ml 49505 (616) 363-5966 Secretary: Tomi Lou Spyker. 7044 Africa Rd .. Galena OH 43201 1614) 882-8023 Treasurer: Kenneth Gackler. 413 W. Johnson, Caledonia Ml 49316 !616) 891-1366 Hq. Manager: Virginia Wunsch. Rt. 4. White Cloud Ml 49349 1616) 689-6876 Membership Chairperson: Martha Jones 1990 Hike Coordinator: Derek Blount Founding President: Lance Field

NEWSLETTER of the

NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATION PO Box 311, White Cloud, Ml, 49349

Editor: Wes Boyd. 14845 Rome Road. Manitou Beach. Ml 49253

Page2

For The Wild! Walkin' Jim Stoltz

months walking coast to coast and many of the trails I used are part of the North Country Trail. Coming up in 1995-'96 I hope to repeat that journey. Only this time I'd like to follow the entire North Country Trail. This walk will be planned so we'll perform concerts along the way and promote wilderness and its values. The trails themselves will of course get the publicity, too. Perhaps the North Country Trail Association would like to help sponsor some of the shows along the way?

Anyways, it's still quite a ways down the road. But it should be another grand adventure.

Once again, thanks for the info. Have a great Fall season.

Each year, the Finger Lakes Trail Conference sponsors Conference Hikes on the Finger Lakes Trail. At a recent Board of Manager's meeting, it was decided to identify these hikes with special names. The names and schedules are: The Wallace Wood Founder's Hike -· last Saturday of March. The President's Hike - last Saturday in July. The Erv Markert Hike - second Saturday of October.

***

The report on the Fall Meeting of the NCTA did not arrive in time for inclusion in this issue of the newsletter. Several. interesting things did happen at the meeting in Burr Oak, Ohio, including approval of the long-discussed dues-shar­ ing between the NCT A and state organiz­ ations, approval of publishing a new NCTA book about the trail, "Following the North Country National Scenic Trail", and other items. Look for the fall meeting report in the next newsletter.

***

Preservation of Ohio's Canal Lands is a key issue in the continuing existence of the Buckeye Trail -- and the North Country Trail -- through much of rural Ohio. The hiker along these canal lands will occasionally come upon scenes like the abandoned canal lock shown on the cover. The Buckeye Trail runs close to this lock, which is located east of Rock­ bridge, Ohio, not terribly far from the Burr Oak site of the NCT A Fall Meeting in October, 1988.

Dear Barbara and John,

Just returned home after three months on the trail and received your information and letter about the North Country Trail which you sent in June. Thanks much.

Your 1990 Hike-a-Thon sounds like lots of fun and a great way to publicize the trail. I wish you all success.

Unfortunately, I'll be doing a long walk out West here next summer, planning and hiking a "Montana Trail", so I won't be able to participate in your event.

However, back m 75-76 I spent 18

NCTA Directors Barbara Smith and John Hipps recently contacted Walkin' Jim Stoltz about doing something along the North Country Trail similar to what he has done on other trails across the country. Here's his reply:

Letters to the Editor

A bill to protect the Genesee River Gorge in New York's Letchworth State Park from hydropower development recently won final congressional approval. The Letchworth Trail, part of the Finger Lakes Trail System, follows the spectacular "Grand Canyon of the East'' north from the main Finger Lakes Trail and proposed NCT. The House unanimously passed a Senate-approved measure that gives a 17-mile stretch of the Genesee River gorge south of the Mt. Morris Dam the same protection afforded national "wild and scenic rivers". Presi­ dent Bush is expected to sign the bill that was introduced when a Boston-based developer proposed generation of hydro­ power at the Dam. The bill prevents substantial flooding of the Park.

***

Michigan DNR Recreation Division Supervisor Jon Rothele recently told a meeting of the Michigan Walking-Hiking Trail Advisory Committee that the NCT will receive funding for some projects in the next two years. No announcement as to what projects has been made yet.

***

The National Park Service has announced that two additional segments of the North Country Trail were certified on October 18, 1989. These segements are in the Wayne National Forest, and include a 14.5 mile segment in Perry County and a 19-mile segment in Wash­ ington County.

Walkin' Jim Stoltz and the NCT

In Memoriam STANLEY J. GREGOR

On the morning of July 26, after a lingering illness against which he fought hard, Stanley Gregor, husband of NCTA board member Emily Gregor, died.

Since his retirement in 1976 from Engineering Utilities with the City of Cleveland, Stan continued to help peolpe, He was active in the AARP Tax Consult­ ing to the Elderly program, where he enlisted many volunteers as well as completed many tax forms. He had painted more than his share of blazes along the Buckeye Trail and manned the BT A display at the Appalachian Trail Conference.

The Finger Lakes Trail Conference reports a lot of work going on in the South Bradford - Hammondsport gap on the FLT. Filling in this gap would make trail continuous for about six hundred miles between central New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.

***

*** It might not be a bad idea to get your reservation in if you're planning to stay at "The Shack" at the NCTA's spring meeting. Headquarters Manager Virginia Wunsch reports only ten rooms left as of the end of October. The address is: The Shack Country Inn, 2262 14th St., White Cloud, MI 49349 (616) 924-6683.

The National Park Service has selected Steve Elkinton as its new planner for long-distance trails. The new position was developed to oversee and coordinate NPS long-distance trails issues and policies.

The Continental Divide Trail had it's first segment certified in June -- and what a segment! The newly-certified trail runs from the Canadian Border to Yellowstone National Park, 795 miles -- 579 as trail, and 160 as primitive road. Fifty-six miles of the route on roads have received temporary certification.

***

Reports of the death of the Shindagin lean-to on the Finger Lakes Trail have proven to be greatly exaggerated. The Cayuga Trails Club newsletter reports that nine students in the Cornell Outdoor Education Program repaired the shelter on October 28-29. The adirondack shelter had been vandalized and damaged by fire in June.

NCT:fYI Page3 North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90

The Hikers Paradise

783 V Cllffalda Dr. AKRON, OH 44313

Moderate optional length DAY hiking along skyline trails. 7-2 week tours basing at 15 mountain 3-4 star hotels. All hikes guided by NCT member Cecil Dobbins. For a free color brochure call (216) 867-3771, or write to:

ALPINE ADVENTURE TRAILS TOURS. lac. . swissair /1

GRINDELWALD SAAS-FEE

GSTAAD FLUELEN

ENGELBERG LEUKERBAD

KANDERSTEG ZERMATT MURR EN LENK WENG EN BETTMERALP RIGl-KALTllAD

sw·1,ss ALPS

A great deal of business and planning was accomplished at the fall meeting in Ohio. But you should hve been in the car traveling back to New York! Doris Abbott, Cliff Abbott, Laura McGuire, Howard Beye and I planned, planned and planned for the NCT 10th Anniversary Hike next September. I am sure we all ended the trip excited about the Hike and the tremendous good it can do for the North Country Trail (and Finger Lakes Trail).

Among out plans are to sponsor a backpacking trip from one certified segment of NCT to another beginning on September 2 at 9:00 AM. Another hike in a state park was tentatively designated especially for families with small children. The segment of NCT for this family hike has several places where participants can get off the trail and return to the start if they desire. We may invite a naturalist from the State Office of Parks and Recreation to lead the hike. A long-distance trail run was proposed for another segment. We even set the starting time for hikes on other segments - 2:00 PM. More special events for the big day are being considered. The Anniversary Hike in New York will be billed as the "North Country Trail 10th Anniversary Hike, Sponsored by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc.'' The FLTC Service Center will develop and distribute press releases.

A list of celebrities to invite to the Hike was started. So far, invitations have been sent to Gov. Mario Cuomo, three members of the U.S. Congress representing districts through which certified sections of the NCT passes, a member of the State Assembly and a State Senator. No replies yet, but I am hopeful.

Out list gets more exciting, too! We will invite a Nobel Prize winner (who regularly hikes on the NCT), famous television personalities, mayors, bankers, college presidents, entertainers, television news anchors, and a very wealthy business person.

I hope NCTA members in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota are also making plans . September 3, 1990, will be here soon. You wouldn't want New York to get all the attention, would you? The excitment is building!!!

A letter from the President

Trail Head

North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90 ·

June 24 - July 7; Trail building east of Kalkaska, Ml. Contact Vince Smith, Box 76, Whitmore Lake, Ml 48189.

Aug. 19 - Sept. 1: Trail building in McCormick Wilderness Area west of Marquette, Ml. Contact Vince Smith, Box 76, Whitmore Lake, MI 48189.

March: Hike, to be announced. Call Jim Davis (616) 677-1326 for time and place. Car Pool.

February 10 - 11: Snowshoe weekend. Meet at head­ quarters: at noon Saturday for afternoon hike; at 8 p.m. for Saturday moonlighthike; at 9 a.m. Sunday for all day hikle. Must call Art Holland (616) 784-6441 to rent snowshoes and make overnight arrangements.

February 6: Chapter meeting, 7:30 p.m. at 4067 Luxford Ave. N.W., Comstock Park. Planning meeting for 1990 Labor Day weekend hike. Call Darlene Snyder, (616) 784-5050, for directions or information.

January 13 - 14: Snowshoe Weekend. Meet at Head­ quarters; at noon on Saturday for afternoon hike; 8 p.m. Saturday for moonlight hike; at 9 a.m. Sunday for all day hike. Must call Art Holland (616) 784-6441 to rent snowshoes

. and make overnight arrangements.

Michigan

May 4-6: FLTC annual Meeting, Masonville, NY

July 28 - FLTC President's Hike

March 31 - Wallace Wood Founders Hike, FLTC

New York

September 2; NCTA Tenth Anniversary Hike at locations along the North Country Trail. Don't miss it!

May 18-20: NCTA Spring Meeting, White Cloud, Ml. Contact Virgina Wunsch, PO Box 311, White Cloud, Ml 49349 (616) 689-6876 for more information.

NCTA

More North Country Trail Outings are planned for next year. This summer, we'll again have two trail-building outings: June 24 through July 7, and August 19 through September 1.

The early outing will again be in State Forest Land east of Kalkaska and south of Alba, Ml; the August outing will again be in the McCormick Wilderness area. We'll stay in established campgrounds and hike or drive to work. Cost, $45 per week (includes food); bring your own camping gear (tent, etc.) Non members welcome. Please send self-addressed stamped envelope. Contact Vince Smith, Box 76, Whitmore Lake, Ml, 48189 for more information.

Michigan work weeks planned Page4

Joe Dabes

Robert Treman park on the "Ed's Ultra" course described above. Of the thirty-five starters there were thirty finishers. The men's race was won by John Lahoud of Massachussets while the woman's race was won by his wife, Helga. At the post-race barbecue much of the discussion was about the toughness of this course. With 8300 feet of total "ups" it was agreed that this race ranks as one of the toughest fifty-mile trail races in the country. The fastest finishing time was eight hours, thirty-five minutes while the last finisher came in just under fourteen hours.

The third event was the first annual "7 and 15 km. FLT Fun Runs" held on July 23. These races use a four-mile loop and a five-mile loop which forms a "figure 8" in the Virgil, New York area. Several women race walkers drove from Ohio to compete in the 15 km event on a hazy, humid. July morning. All seventy-five starters finished. Several said that the· .mist and haze made them feel as if they were running in an enchanted forest. .

The last event, and largest with one hundred thirty starters, was the fourth annual ''Virgil Mountain Madness Trail Run'' on August 20. Competitors .came from fourteen states and provinces. This race is 21.1 miles long with 4020 feet of total climb and this year joined the ten-race Northeast Trailrunners Circuit. On Virgil Mountain the runners are atop the highest point within about seventy miles. At the turnaround on a grassy field high above Dryden Lake there are views in 270 degrees that caused some of the runners to stop running- in order to savor the vistas. And the chicken barbecue after the race prepared by Ted and Barb Wixon can't be beat!

A large number of volunteers made these events possible. Many of these helpers are not runners, but are very involved in the Finger Lakes Ti-ail Conference and North Country Trail Association. These volunteers, some of whom put in consider­ able time and effort included Laura McGuire, Tom Riemers, Ed Sidote, Ray and Bob Kuzia, Tom Dziekonski, and Barbara Morse.

ALMOST EXACTLY HALFWAY between the ends of the North Country Trail is the old Birch Grove Schoolhouse near White Cloud, Michigan, which has been converted into the North Country Trail Associa­ tion Headquarters and Hostel. Extensively restored by many volun­ teers coordinated by Headquarters Coordinater Virginia Wunsch over the last ten years, the building now boasts running water, flush toilets, a full kitchen, and bunkrooms. It is used for overnight stays by hostelers and sometimes for longer periods for trail work parties. This year, the hostel will have a live-in manager for the summer months, and it's expect­ ed hostel use will increase. The building was used as the site of the NCT A Spring Meetings for some years until the meetings outgrew the building's limited space, but it's still in use for the organization.

"It is lovely, particularly for a trail course in the northeast." says Peter Gagarin of Massachussets in ''Ultrarunning" maga­ zine. Gagarin is perennial U.S. orienteering champ and was referring to the trails he experienced in the Virgil Mountain Madness Trail Run. Writing about the same race on FLT/NCNST trails, Ed Stabler said in the "Syracuse Chargers Newsletter", "There may be a more pleasant running activity, but I don't know what it could be".

The number of those running on roads may have leveled off, but trail running continues to grow in popularity. One reason may be the skill required and fun involved in navigating over and around rocks, roots, logs, and mud holes. Another is the scenery and serenity of being in the woods. A third may be that running on trails is not as hazardous as many runners once thought. Also steep hills are looked forward to; it's a chance for all to walk! .

This year a total of two hundred seventy runners and walkers took part in four races on the FLT, that included portions of the North Country National Scenic Trail. These events brought many people to the trail that a few months ago never even realized its existence. participants frolicked beneath maples, oaks, and huge hemlocks, passed through cathedral-like red pine plantations, and followed tunnels through dense spruce groves in an ever-changing landscape.

The first of these events, and the smallest but oldest, was the fourth annual "Ed Hart Ultra Fun Run" .of twenty-seven miles on May 14. The course travels the FLT from Bennettsburg, New York to lower Robert Treman State Park near Ithaca. Ed doesn't give this event wide publicity so as to keep it non-competitive and low key. But this year thirty participants, twice as many as last year, showed up. Of these, twenty-eight completed the whole twenty-seven miles despite wetter than normal conditions. Several walked most of the 'distance. Although small, "Ed's Ultra'' is important because it was the seed that spawned the other three trail runs.

Next to be held on July 15 was the first "Finger Lakes Trail Fifty-Miler". This was basically an out-and-back starting from

Trail running on the Finger Lakes Trail

Page 5

Participants impressed

North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90

This is the route displayed in the 1982 comprehensive management plan. Apparent difficulties with this route include lack of public ownership along the St. Louis Rivers and

a. St. Louis River, Savanna Portage State Park, and State Forest Lands

Three route alternatives were discussed for this section.

2. Jay Cooke State Park to Chippewa National Forest

Analysis: From the standpoint of compatible uses, the Hinck­ ley Fire Trail alternative would seem to be most desirable, since ATV use would be next to unacceptable even for a connector. From the standpoint of scenic value and the ease of making a continuous connection from the Wisconsin State line, the Soo Line route would seem to offer the best advantages.

Regardless of which route is eventually identified as the connector, it seems clear the Minnesota-Wisconsin connection will be in the vicinity of Danbury, either at the Soo Line Railroad bridge or the State Routes 48/77 bridge just west of Danbury. Although a more northerly connection was raised at the meeting, there was no strong interest in it. While one might be feasible, it makes little sense to bypass the nationally significant resources of the Saint Croix national Scenic Riverway.

The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Re­ sources are contemplating a joint purchase of this line. From Danbury, Wisconsin, it crosses the St. Croix River into Minne­ sota, eventually swinging east to reenter Wisconsin, terminating at Superor. While it passes through the same remote swampy areas as the Boundary Route, it is a built-up road bed and would generally offer dry walking. Amonth the three routes, it offers the highest quality scenery. The route would also have the advantage of being State-owned. Development and management would be by the respective counties. Like the other two alternatives, this route would also be open to snowmobiling. Unfortunately, there seems to her a good possibility that existing unauthorized ATV use would become a permitted use.

c. Soo Line Railroad Right-of-Way, Danbury to Superior, Wisconsin

This route lies west of the Boundary Route. It is developed on an abandoned railroad right-of-way and is completed between Hinckley and Barnum and between Carlton and Duluth. Its major advantages are that it is not subject to the water problems of the Boundary Route and there is no contemplation of it ever being opened to ATV's. The major disadvantage is that Hinckley lies twenty-five miles west of the St. Croix River (where the North Country NST would cross into Minnesota) and this gap would have to be bridged by a segment of trail. About half of that distance can be bridged by following the Willard Munger Trail, Boundary Route, south from State Route 48 through St. Croix State Park. From its westernmost point in the park, the trail would have to cross State forest and private lands. In the winter, a gran-in-aid snowmobile trail spans this distance. There would be a need to work with landowners to try to make the trail a year-round facility or establish another trail on a different alignment. There appears to be a possiblity that a bicycle trail will be constructed along State Route 48 when it is redeveloped, but it may be only a paved shoulder and may be ten, fifteen, or twenty years in the future.

b. Willard Munger Trail, Hinckley Fire Trail Route

North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90

has expressed its concern about the suitability of this route for the North Country NST. The trail exists, but major portions are swampy and usually impassable for summer hiking. The trail is better suited to winter use for cross-country skiing. As stated above, it is open to snowmobiling. An additional concern about this route is that is might be opened to all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use in the future. Should. this use be permitted, the route would be totally unacceptable to The National Park Service, even as a ''connector.''

a. Willard Munger Trail, Boundary Route

This route is the one shown in the 1982 North Country NST comprehensive management plan. Since publication of the plan, however, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

1. Danbury, Wisconsin, vicinity to Jay Cooke State Park

Three possible routes were identified. They are described in the following paragraphs along with their advantages and disadvantages. All three routes are or will be open to snow­ mobiling in winter. Therefore, they could not be certified as the North Country NST unless an amendment to the National Trails System Act to permit such use is introduced and enacted. Without the amendment, the most recognition they could receive is as "North Country Trail Connectors." This may be a section of the North Country route where there will not be a certified trail for the foreseeable future, and perhaps never.

On July 19, 1989, I traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota. to conduct and participate in a meeting of principal parties involved in locating, developing, and managing segments of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NST) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the current status of the route of the North Country NST in Minnesota and examine various routing alternatives that have been proposed since the comprehensive management plan was completed in 1982. A special focus was placed on the location of the Minnesota-Wisconsin connection, an issue that has delayed development of the trail in the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway for the past two years. The meeting was called at our request and hosted by the Trails and Waterways Unit of the Department of Natural Resources.

It was not a goal of the meeting to actually make routing determinations. No final decisions were made. However, the meeting served to clarify some of the alternatives and how they relate to completed segments. In addition, it was fairly clear that the probable location of the Minnesota-Wisconsin connection would remain in the vicinity of Danbury, Wisconsin, crossing the St. Croix river either on the State Routes 48 (Minnesota) and 77 (Wisconsin) bridge, as currently planned, or the Soo Line Railroad bridge if ultimately acquired by the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

I promised to send copies of this summary report and a mailing list of attendees to all who participated in the meeting. The staff of the Division of Parks and Recreation of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources agreed to encour­ age division management to again look at the issue of the North Country NST as it affects State parks..

For the purposes of discussing alternative routings, the route through Minnesota was broken into three sections: Danbury, Wisconsin, vicinity to Jay Cooke State Park; Jay Cooke to Chippewa National Forest; and everything west of Chippewa National Forest.

by Tom Gilbert, National Park Service NCNST Coordinator

New routes possible in Minnesota

Page6

"This idea is not an official ''proposal" in any way. It is a "think piece" that we talk about at meetings. It was discussed at the July "summit" meeting here but no resolution reached. In fact, the NPS Wild Rivers folks were given the go-ahead to construct their section in Wisconsin down the Namekagon. Valley and come across the Danbury bridge into Minnesota as per original plan. _

I do think that logic dictates that there will be a link to this the "Arrowhead" route as part of the NCT system. The dynamics are obvious when you look at the map. The problem involved is that the Taconite is part of the Minnesota "state trail" program on old rail grades. As such, it is motorized and a rather unattractive hiking route. Prospects for an off-road NCT trail route are good but there is no work underway. ''

MINNESOTA DIRECTOR ROD MACRAE COMMENTS

No significant alternatives to the general alignment shows in the compreshensive management plan were proposed. Restric­ tions on public access through the northern two-thirds of the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge continue to be a concern. The possibility of rerouting the trail through surrounding county lands was suggested. Another alternative which needs further research is the old Bad Medicine-Frazee Railroad right-of-way. An additional factor -in the trail route is the current White Earth Indian Reservation land settlement issue.

3. Chippewa National Forest to North Dakota

Analysis: The majority at the meeting expressed a preference for the longer route looping through the Arrowhead REgion. Further research and perhaps public input will be needed before any decision can by make.

Proposed Alternate North Country Trail Routes

MINNESOTA

Portage

c. Soo Line Railroad Right-of-Way, Moose Lake to Cass Lake

This former railroad right-of-way is owned by the counties through which it passes. A connection with the existing trail in the Chippewa National Forest could be made southeast of Remer. This route has the advantage of being in public ownership. However, it is subject to multiple use, including logging activities and ATV's. It would also bypass the scenic qualities and recreational resources of Jay Cooke State Park.

This near continuous linkage of trails follows Minnesota's "North Shore" into the Arrowhead Region to Grand Portage national Monument. At the monument, it turns west to Ely, then southwest to Grand Rapids, a short jump away from the eastern end of the Chippewa National Forest segment. The outstanding scenery and resources of this route were enthusiastically described by many at the meeting. Staff of the Superior National Forest at the meeting were receptive to this North Country Trail route alternative. They noted that the Kekekabic Trail had recently been added back into their forest management plan. Previously, it had not been maintained. Acceptance of this route would be dependent on the cooperation of the Superior Hiking Trail Association, which is building and maintaining the Superior hiking Trail. An advantage of this route is that it is all nonmotorized, except for the Taconite Trail segment which is open to snowmobiling. This route would add perhaps three hundred miles to the length of the trail in Minnesota. It may also require Congressional approval as a substantial relocation of the trail route.

b. Superior Hiking Trail, Grand Portage Trail, Border Trail, Kekekabic Trail, Taconite Trail

extremely wet conditions along much of the route. No significant interest was expressed in retaining this route.

Paul Bunyan

Bad

Existing In Progress mw_o-_.­ Projected ••••••••••

ALTERNATE NCT

Certified Connecting In Progress :::iD!DOloopC:x: Projected :::::;.':'::::;;:;::';;;;~'.;:.zgw-

EXISTING NCT

The orienteering weekend in September was a great success. There were thirty-seven people in attendance.

Three different courses were laid out to accomodate the different levels of expertise. An overnight with potluck, followed later by a bonfire, marshmallows, and tall stories gave us a pleasurable time to begin new friendships and strengthen the old. Sunday morning found Alan and Lou Adsmond cooking pancakes and sausages over charcoal, outside, for all of us. After another trek on the courses we returned home with happy memories of a fantastic weekend. A big thanks to Alan and Lous for all their efforts.

West Michigan Oiapter news The West Michigan Chapter of the North Country Trail

Association is proud to announce it now has two life members. In recognition of his many contributions to the construction of the North Country Trail in west Michigan, and in appreciation for being the founding father of the chapter, Jim Wannels has been made a life member. In appreciation for all the work and supplies donated for the betterment of the headquarters, Wally Doane has been made a life member.

Looking for information about the North Country Trail? A new NCTA Publication, "Following the North Country National Scenic Trail", written by Newsletter Editor Wes Boyd, is now available through the National Headquarters for !2.95. The booklet was written in response to requests for more specific information about the trail than the NCTA had previously been able to provide. The booklet, which is much more detailed than the now out-of-print NPS "User's Guide to the NCNST", has nine sketch maps and heavily-packed pages of information about the nation's longest National Scenic Trail. While not a trail guide, it is designed to give users what they need to know to get information on specific trail segments, and perhaps inspire a dream or two along the way.

The article "Wisconsin: Hiking Across the Dairy State" on Page 10 is reproduced from "Following the North Country National Scenic Trail."

New trail hook out

in charge of the new office. A selection may be made by the time NCTA members receive the newsletter. In addition to the manager, there are plans to recruit two additional persons. A secretary will complete the staff planned for the office. The effective date for the change has not been firmly established but should be early in the new year. Once the change has been made, the address for the foreseeable future will be: 7818 Big Sky Drive, Suite 205, Madison, WI 53719. The current telephone number of that office is (608) 833-2788.

Several other items in the Fiscal Year 1990 appropriations may be of interest to NCTA members. The National Park Service received additional funds for the following projects: (1) $300,000 for planning for a W estem Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa; (2) $300,000 for planning a Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail interpretive center in Nebraska, acquiring land for the center, and planning and construction four kiosk wayside exhibits along the trail in Nebraska, and (3) $115,000 for acquiring 39 acres for a Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail interpretive center near Wood River, Illinois. The funds for land acquisition are significant because they are the first such funds appropriated for any national trail administered by the National Park Service other than the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. All of the above appropriations were made under the same authorities as exist for the North Country Trail.

The Allegheny Outdoor Club has desigened emblems outlining the route of the North Country Trail through the Allegheny National Forest. This patch will be available at a cost of $3.50 to any person who has hiked, skied, or snowshoed the entire trail within the Allegheny National Forest. The beginning date for starting this is August, 1989, but there is no time limit for completion. Persons wishing a patch should submit an applica­ tion to the Allegheny Outdoor Club president and include a log showing dates when each segment was traversed. For further information, contact Charles and Marjorie Neel, Star Route, Sheffield, PA 16347 (814) 968-5415 or Donald and Brita Dom, Star Route Box 476, Sheffield PA 16347 (814) 968-5759.

For the first time since it was authorized by Congress in March, 1980, the North Country National Scenic Trail was specifically recognized in the Federal Budget. The Fiscal Year 1990 Department of the Interior appropriations worked out by the House-Senate conference committee, passed by both houses, and signed by the President included language which earmarked $90,000 for administration of the North Country Trail out fo funds appropriated to the National Park Service. Additional funds were not added to the National Park Service budget to cover this expense. Thus, the National Park Service faces the challenge of finding the $90,000 from among funds which may have been programmed for other purposes. Nevetheless, this recognition of the NCNST in the Federal budget may serve as a steppingstone to improved appropriations for the trail in the future. It also reflects the effort of the North Country Trail Association to make its voice heard and increase the public visibility of the trail.

The Midwest Region of the National Park Service has decided to reorganize its administration of the Ice Age and North Country National Scenic Trails and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The administration of these three trails will be consolidated in Madison, Wisconsin, where there has been an administrative office for the Ice Age Trail since May, 1987. This move is designed to increase the effectiveness of the Park Service's effort to ensure the development and management of these trails. We anticipate that it will be possible to focus more staff time directly on the trails than was possible in the past.

The Midwest Region is presently recruiting a manager to be

by Tom Gilbert, Coordinator North Country National Scenic Trail

NPS NCT office to move to Wisconsin North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90 Page 8

by Vince Smith A few more miles were added to the North Country trail this

P'."-st summer. Two trail-building outings, co-sponsored with the Si~rr~ Club, each lasting two weeks, were supported by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources National Park Service and US Forest Service. '

During the July outing in the Kalkaska-Mancelona-Alba MI area, volunteers worked to close a 25-mile gap between' the Shor~-to-s.hore Trail and the Jordan River Pathway by clearing a key six-mile segment through state forest lands. In combination with sec~ion ~es, two-tracks and roads, plus a nine-mile snowmobile trail, the new trail connects the- two existing trails. - An alternate route to the snowmobile trail is planned to be cleared in the future.

Volunteers on the outing to the Upper Peninsula in August cleared about nine miles of trail, which leads went from the McCormick Wilderness to Craig Lake State Park. Although this portion of trail does not connect with the rest of the NCT this too is planned for the future. All the work completed in the' U.P. was on pnvate property. By contrast, the trail work done in the Lower Peninsula was entirely on state land and public rights-of­ way.

On the last day of work on the upper peninsula outing, it took almost two hours to carry the tools back to the cars, and another half-hour to drive out over the bumps. This is rugged country punctuated with rocks, rivers, lakes and beaver dams. '

Abou~ f?rJ:Y volunteers came from as far away as Minnesota, West Virginia and New Jersey, and worked for periods ranging from one day to two weeks. In addition, Gene and Don Elzinga of Marquette and Dm~g Welker of Alston pent many days during the pa~t year contactmg landowners and scouting and flagging the trail.

The principal wildlife encountered in the Lower Peninsula was black squrrels, grouse and ravens. In the U.P., there were turkeys and loons as well as fresh sign of both moose and bear.

On their days off, some volunteers opted for a busman's holiday ~d hiked the secti?n of trail which they had cleared th~ previous year. Other options were exploring t' e McConriick Wilderness or the escarpments where trail work may occur next year, or even shopping and visiting friends in the area.

Many of the trail-building tools were provided by Tom Gilbert of ~he NP~, while others were lent by Terry Reed and his assistant Bill Reynolds of the Ottawa National Forest. Some volunte~rs brought tO?ls of their own. Roger Clisch, manager of yan R1~er and Craig Lake State Parks, provided valuable information and s~pport, as did Dennis Vitton and Jerry Grieve, manager and assistant manager of the Kalkaska district of the s~ate. forest, and Jerry Lawrence, manager of the Gaylord district.

Press coverage was provided by the Antrim County News the Petoskey News-Review, the North Woods Call and the D~troit News, giving the NCT much-needed publicity. 'Television cover­ age was provided by TV 9&10 of Cadillac and Sault Ste. Marie and TV 6 in Marquette. The Iron River Reporter also helped advertise the outings.

SieITa Oub and NCTA hold Michigan work weeks

be a family member, a contributor, or a staff member. Trail clubs do not have the funds that big trade associations

do for literature, visits, campaign contributions, etc., but our members do vote and voters do matter at election time.

Remember, what you do in your own community will matter much more than what AHS does here in Washington. It's up to you.

Page9

Golden Bullet Always seek out what professional lobbyists call the ''Golden

Bullet.'' This is someone of special influence with your member of Congress who also supports your objective. This person may

Believe It Or Not Some AHS members also will be pointing out to members of

Congress that according to "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", there are already enough roads in our national forests to circle the globe fourteen times.

AHS does, however urge a large increase in the appropria­ tions for the Land and Water Conservation Fund because of the enormous backlog of projects awaiting funding.

Lobbyists for trail funds can point to the enormous number of volunteer workers who support federal aid for trail development when they maintain in parks or forests. Why not mention AHS' Volunteer Vacations Program as an example?

Don't forget, in the end, the thank you note, even if its only for holding a hearing. Also, maybe you'd like to invite your member of Congress to address your local trail club at the next monthly or annual meeting.

AHS Proposal The present campaign of the American Hiking Society for

more trail funds has several eye-catchers you can use. . Because '?f its desire to prevent further proliferation of roads m the national forests, AHS has proposed a $100-million decrease in the ''Forest Roads and Bridges'' budget from the level recommended by the administration and a mere $4.5 million increase for ''Forest Trail Maintenance and construe- ti. " _on.

Thus, as far as the Forest Service budget is concerned, AHS' proposal could save the Department of Agriculture budget more than $95 million, a significant amount considering our growing federal deficit.

Coalitions There are two ideas that can be helpful: you must always in

the end be willing to compromise (half a loaf is better than none) and you must always be on the lookout for allies to your cause. Allies are sometimes to be found in the strangest places. For example, how about enlisting your local heart association or even cancer society in a drive for more trails. After all the American Cancer Society recommends regular exercise as part of its IO-step cancer prevention program. The health value of walking is well-known. -

By William Wilcox Reprinted from American Hiker, May 1987

Several elements are necessary for effective lobbying in the U.S. Congress for more government support for trail develop­ ment or any other purpose:

1) a good and worthy cause, ~) 8: willingness to form coalitions to achieve your legislative

objectives, 3) a willingness to view lobbying as a year-round activity, 4). ~ organization backing your efforts with members willing

to visit members of Congress or write letters, 5) a plan, 6. a good command of the facts supporting your cause and a

style of presentation that is polite, considerate and brief 7) if possible, an attention-getter in any presentation, ' However effective you may be, you are certain to be much

more effective if you live in the state or district of the senator or representative you are approaching. Some members of Congress don't even answer letters from people who are not constituents.

Of course, your local press may be interested in trails issues--both as a news item and an editorial issue.

scenic overlooks. The western half of the trail is gentle in nature, being a rolling combination of upland and swamps. The trail passes by several small, beautiful lakes and crosses a number of rivers and small streams, the Brunsweiler and Marengo being the largest. The trail crosses several forest development roads, each providing an access point to the trail. The trail comes to an end at the National Forest border, on County Hwy. A near Lake Ruth about 5 miles south of Iron River. For more information, contact Forest Supervisor, Chequa­ megon National Forest, 147 N. Fifth Ave., Park Falls WI 54552.

Potential for a trail exists to the west of the Chequamegon National Forest, in forest lands owned by Bayfield County, though little development has been done. The hiker will have to consult road maps of Bayfield and Douglas Counties for the next five-mile segment, taking the hiker to a usable pathway through the Brule River State Forest. This route roughly parallels the Brule River on the south side. Information available on this snowmobile route is skimpy, but the hiker may be able to get some from Douglas County, Box 211, Solon Springs WI 54873.

The plan for the North Country Trail calls for it to continse southwest from the end of the Brule River Snowmobile Route, along the St. Croix River, a National Scenic Waterway. How­ ever, local resistance has arisen to putting the route down this river, partly due to the amount of private land, and partly due to conditions that are perceived as too marshy for trail use. An alternative route is increasingly seen as a viable option. This alternate route would head directly west from some point on the planned route, crossing into Minnesota at a place somewhere between Nemadji State Forest and Jay Cooke State Park. Inability to reach a decision on this matter has stalled trail development in a part of Minnesota as well as Wisconsin.

If the hiker wishes to follow the planned route of the North Country Trail, he will have to use county maps from Douglas, Washburn and St. Croix Counties to get across the gap, heading for the state line crossing on Wisconsin SRI 7 /Minnesota SR 48 just west of Danbury, WI.

Certified r.onnecting -­ Projected ···· ··

WISCONSIN

./·, ... ·z ...._../ .. 1· <, .:" ('.opper Falls SP ~rule SF Chequamegon NF

Wisconsin has the smallest distance that the North Country Trail has to cross, and the second smallest amount of trail developed to date. It's pretty good trail, including the trail that gave it's name to the whole concept.

Development of the North Country Trail in Wisconsin has had its problems. The amout of finished trail actually shrank a little; trail earmarked for the state may shrink more.

The trail crosses from Michigan on the US-2 bridge in Ironwood into Hurley, a town reknowned in lumbering days for its wild reputation on Saturday nights; indeed, some of the cause still remains. Hikers needing to cross the gap to Copper Falls State Park will need to consult road maps of Iron and Ashland Counties. A few miles west of Hurley, a 7-mile trail on Iron County Forest lands was certified until recently, but was allowed to fall into disrepair; it could be reopened at some time in the future.

The first usable trail in Wisconsin is Copper Falls State Park, about 20 miles west of Hurley. The NCT meanders through this park for 7.8 miles, taking the hiker through peaceful forests to a series of spectacular waterfalls: Copper Falls, Brownstone Falls, and Tyler's Fork Cascades. The park contains a wide variety of recreational facilities, including two developed campgrounds, a group campground, and two backpack campsites in the north end of the park on a side trail off of the NCT. Advance reservations are recommended for the backpack campsites. The trail through the park is marked with routed wooden signs, the official NCT marker, and diamond-shaped blue metal markers. For information on the park and its segment of the NCT, contact the Park Superintendent, Copper Falls State Park, Mellen WI 54546. The east trailhead for the NCT in the Chequamegon National Forest is not far away, but the hiker will have to consult Ashland County road maps to get there.

The 60 mile trail in the Chequamegon National Forest was designed for backpackers, and was built and named the North Country Trail years before the concept of the seven-state trail arose. The trail begins on Forest Road 390 about 2 miles west of Mellen. The trail is open to hiking and backpacking and horseback riding in the summer and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Four developed campgrounds with water, tables, fireplaces, etc., are located along or very near the trail. Three Adirondack shelters are located along the trail as well, a rarity on the NCT. Trailside camping is permitted, but campsites must be kept 50 feet away from the trail or any water.

The trail heads northwest through the forest. The eastern half of the trail is the most rugged. This portion of the trail travels through the Penokee Hills, an area of rock outcroppings and

Wisconsin: Hiking across the Dairy State

of this magnificent outdoor resource (the FLT) be maintained. New York is not the only state looking at putting a low-level

radioactive waste dump near the NCT. The Michigan Low-Level Radioactive Waste Authority has announced that a site near Riga, Michigan, is one of three under consideration for a waste dump. This is near a proposed crossing of the NCT from Ohio into Michigan. Local opposition is strong against the site.

The North Country Trail also passes near another one of the three primary sites in Michigan, in eastern Ontanagon County. Two of seven alternate sites for the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Dump are also located near the NCT in the same county. Again, local opposition to siting the dump in this area is strong.

The Finger Lakes Trail and proposed NCT border one of four sites being considered by the New York Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission as a dump site for radioactive waste. Under federal law, New York, like every other state, must take responsibility for disposal of its low-level radioactive waste by 1993. New York has opted to build a dump site rather than joining in a mutual venture with other states. The Finger Lakes Trail Conference has expressed opposition to the location of the proposed site so near the Trail. In a letter to the Siting Commission, FLTC President Tom Reimers, who is also NCTA President, emphasized the importance to Conference members, neighboring landowners, and the hiking public that the integrity

Radioactive waste dumps on the NCT? North Country Trcil Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90 Page 10

Please include $1.00 postage per order. Make checks payable to: North Country Trail Association

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the centerpiece of the North country Trail -- a rugged, unique coast on the still-wild Lake Superior Shore. Updated in 1988, this 56 page book by Pictured Rocks enthusiast Olive M. Anderson gives the reader revised maps and up-to-date information about this Michigan section of the North Country Trail. $5.95 each (Wholesale $4.25 each)

Address---------------------------------------------

Name------------------------------------------------

--- copies of GUIDE TO THE PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE at $5.95 per copy

NCT A Bookstore P.O. Box 311 White Cloud, Ml 49349

--- copies of FOLLOWING THE NORTH COUNTRY NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL at $2.95 per copy ($2.00 per copy if ten or more)

Packed full of information about the North Country Trail. "The aim is to give the reader the information necessary to find out what they need to know to follow the trail" -- and lots of other useful information. Much more comprehensive than the now out-of-print National Park Service "User's Guide to the North Country Trail". The most inclusive and up-to-date information on the whole trail. $2.95 each. Wholesale (10 or more) $2.00 each.

GUIDE TO THE PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE, including revised Lakeshore Trail Guide, by Olive Anderson.

Just Published! FOLLOWING THE NORTH COUNTRY NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL by Wes Boyd

• : Send Order To: • • • • • •

North Country Trail Bookstore

Why scenic trails - If the certification procedures was established in law for

NHTs, why are the Park Service and Forest Service using it in connection with national scenic trails? As stated earlier, Congress has prohibited or severely restricted federal land acquisition outside of existing federal areas for most NSTs. This has had the effect of limiting direct federal involvements in protecting, developing and managing NSTs to those segments on federally owned lands. Consequently, .non-federal interests must undertake this work on all other ortions of NSTs under the direction and coordination of the federal agencies with overall administrative authority for the individual trails.

Since this is effectively the same administrative scenario as it is more explicitly stated in the NTS Act for NHTs, NPS planers "borrowed" the certification procedure as a useful administra­ tive tool when preparing comprehensive management plans for the North Country and Ice Age NSTs. It provides NPS an appropriate degree of administrative control over trail segments that it cannot be directly involved in developing and managing.

This decision by planners to borrow the certification procedure was subsequently validated by Congress when it authorized the Potomac Heritage and Florida NSTs in 1983. Language similar to that quoted above from Section 3 for NHTs was included in the authorizing paragraphs (Section 5[a][ll] and [13) for these two trails. The only difference is that Congress used the work "designate" instead of "certify." The intent and concept are the same. .

=reprinted from Spring 1989 "Pathways Across America"

Disapprovals The federal agency may deny an application for certification if

any aspect of development or management of the segment or site is not in accordance with the NTS Act or the particular trail's comprehensive management plan. For example, applica­ tions for certification as part of the Lewis and Clark NHT have been rejected by the NPS because interpretation of the exped­ ition on the segment or site was inadequate or historically inaccurate. In all such cases, NPS offers technical assistance to the applicant to help bring the segment or site to a certifiable condition.

Page 11

Portions of an NHT that are protected, developed and managed by non-federal interests, therefore, must be certified to

·be officially recognized as part of the trail and marked with the official trail emblem. The non-federal manager prepares a short, written application (the instructions for which are usually in the trail' s comprehensive management plan) and submits it to the federal agency with overall administrative authority. Not only does this comply with the law, it helps the federal agency create records of what has been protected and developed as part of the trail. When it approves the application, the federal agency provides the manager official trail emblems to mark the segment or site.

Origins The certification procedure originated in the 1978 amendments

to the NTS Act. An amendment to Section 3 described and defined the new category of "National Historic Trails." It specified that only those land and water portions of the historic route that are on federally owned lands are included as part of the trail. It went on to say, "The appropriate Secretary may certify other lands as protected segments of an historic trail upon application from State of local governmental agencies or private interests involved if such segments meet the national historic trail criteria established in this Act and such supple­ mentary criteria thereto as the appropriate Secretary may prescribe, and are administered by such agencies or interests wihtout expense to the United States."

This language painted a clear administrative - scenario that reinforced the basic public-private partnership approach to establishing long-distance trails that was already well-entrench­ ed in the language of the act, particularly Section 7. Federal agencies would protect, develop, and manage segments of historic trails within existing federal areas. Non-federal interests would be responsible for undertaking this work on all other portions of the trail under the direction and coordination of the federal agency with overall administrative authority for the trail (NPS, USFS, or BLM).

To ensure that this approach would be used, Congress added language to Section 10 of the act to prohibit or severely restrict federal agencies from expending funds to acquire lands or interests in lands outside of federal areas for most of the long-distance trails -- both historic and scenic.

"Certification" is a term becoming more common in the jargon of those involved in developing and marking portions of national scenic trails (NSTs) and national historic trails (NHTs). What does this term mean and how did it come to be used in connection with these trails?

"Certification is an administrative procedure used by federal I agencies to manage and control the development, maintenance, r, I interpretation and marking of trail segments and sites. Certifi­

cation of a trail segment of site means it is offically recognized as part of the NST or NHT and may be marked with the offical trail marker. To be certified, a segment or site must meet the requirements of the National Trails System (NTS) Act and be developed and managed in accordance with the federal comprehensive management plan for the trail.

by Thomas L. Gilbert

What is a certifiably satisfactory trail?

North Country Trail Association Newsletter, Winter 1989-90

' . Phone-------------

Name

Address

I wish to join the North Country Trail Association.

Enclosed is $ for a

membership.

.. f

Adult. $ 10.00 Family (includes children under 18) $ 15.00 Student $ 5.00 Organization $ 25.00 Supporting $ 50.00 Donor $ 250.00 Life $ 300.00 Patron $ 5000.00 Commercial $ 500.00

O Yes, I would like to further support the North Country Trail Association with my tax free contribution of $ . enclosed.

Annual Dues: membership year runs from July 1 through June· 30. Dues paid from April 1 on are valid through June 30 of the following year.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

i l I l I

~ I ! l

North Country Trail Association PO Box 311 White Cloud, Ml 49349

You can help with making the dream a reality by joining the

North Country Trail Association.

Building the North Country National Scenic Trail will be a big job. Much has been completed, but there's still a lot to do.

THAT'S BEi NG REALIZED

North Country National Scenic Trail

A DREAM