Encouraging that HR 5797, “The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Full Funding Act of 2020” be included in the transportation reauthorization bill currently being drafted
by Mike Passo, Executive Director, American Trails
Sheltowee Trace - Big Turtle 50 Miler Trail Runner preparing to pass over creek on swinging bridge in Morehead, Kentucky; Photo by Michael Whisman
American Trails' partners always answer the call and we need your help once again! The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) faces a crucial time as the program is at risk of going dormant without Congressional approval before September 30th.
On the right of this page is a sample letter of support addressed to relevant committee leaders and requests “…that HR 5797, “The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Full Funding Act of 2020” sponsored by Congressman Welch of VT and Congressman Curtis of UT be included in the transportation reauthorization bill…”
Please use the attached sample language, modify it to address your specific needs, and put it on your organizational letterhead. It is important to note that while individual letters to Congress are important, this effort is primarily focused on getting our partner associations, clubs, and organizations to send organizational letters of support. If you have the authority to send the letters on your organization’s letterhead, please do so. If you need to consult the board of directors or go through some other process before the letter can be signed and sent, please start that process ASAP.
The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) and partners with a Washington, D.C. presence are currently advocating for the continuation of RTP and these letters will be used to support those efforts.
If you send a letter, please email it to the following House of Representatives staff and the leadership at the CRT:
Published May 27, 2020
Mike Passo is the Executive Director of American Trails. Mike has also served as the Executive Director of the Professional Trailbuilders Association and the owner and operator of a sea kayak outfitter called Elakah Expeditions. Mike has led groups of all backgrounds, ages and abilities on sea kayak expeditions in the San Juan Islands of Washington, Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Mike has conducted an extensive study of outdoor developed areas nationwide to determine the cost implications of construction according to proposed Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and a Congressional study on improving access to outdoor recreational activities on federal land. He has a B.S. in Recreation Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, including three years’ coursework in Landscape Architecture and Civil Engineering. He has presented on Universal Design and Programming at several national conferences and served on the Board of Directors of American Trails since 2000. His love of the outdoors and his own paraplegia has given him a great interest in the creation of an accessible outdoor environment that does not ruin the characteristics and value of that environment.
Contact: [email protected]
This Comprehensive Management and Use Plan / Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails is shaped, in part, by the planning requirements found in section 5(f) of the National Trails System Act. It focuses on the trails’ purpose and significance, issues and concerns related to current conditions along the trails, resource protection, visitor experience and use, and long-term administrative and management objectives. Elements of the proposed plan have been developed in cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as nonprofit trails organizations — the entities that form the core of any partnership for national historic trails.
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
The strategy described here provides guidance for the administration of the entire trail and a vision to be fulfilled through future, specific resources studies, and site and segment management plans. Much of the basis for the “Comprehensive Administrative Strategy” was developed during the earlier comprehensive management plan efforts.
National Scenic and Historic Trails Strategy and Work Plan
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Landscape Conservation System Office is pleased to provide you with the National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHT) Strategy and Work Plan. The purpose of this national-level strategy is to provide a 10-year framework for the development of program guidance and direction for improved management of the BLM’s NSHT Program.
National Scenic and Historic Trail Administration
This manual provides the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy and program guidance on administering congressionally designated National Trails as assigned by the Department of the Interior within the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) and this manual describes the BLM’s roles, responsibilities, agency interrelationships, and policy requirements for National Trail Administrators
