Two Proposed National Trails in WA

Well, America has a new president. It's a historic time, and we here at Washington Trails Association will be following the administration's next steps very closely--particularly those related to trails and recreation funding. A delegation from WTA's board and staff will be heading to Washington D.C. in early February (I hope they'll have cleaned up after the 2 million visitors to the inauguration by then!). Learn more about what issues they'll be working on here. I'll have more on WTA's efforts at the federal level on the Signpost Blog this week.

Just last week, before the new administration took over, the Senate passed a bill with some great additions for trails in the Northwest, including:

• National Designation for the Pacific Northwest Trail.  Not to be confused with the PCT, the PNT runs east-west from the Continental divide through Montana, Idaho, and Washington and passes through the North Cascades and Olympics. This designation would be fantastic news, helping secure more federal attention and funding for this amazing route. Read more about the PNT here.
• Creation of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. This trail (more of a collection of sites than a single hiking trail) links a series of interpretive sites that will be managed by the National Park Service. It will follow the route of the massive Lake Missoula floods that shaped the landscape of Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington about 11,000 years ago. Read more here.
  

What do you think about the future of trails in the age of Obama? Post a comment.